Mine Eyes Have Seen The Coming Of The Lord: A Brief History Of Appalachian Music And Mass Consumer Capitalism

The commodification of Appalachian music coincided with the commodification of the Appalachian natural world in the 20th century. Mass consumer capitalism has come to direct human activities in Appalachia via the expropriation of Appalachian land and Appalachian labor. The mass consumption of the Appalachian natural world has taken placealongside the mass consumption of Appalachian culture, which has greatly affected thedevelopment of communities within the region. As of the 1920s, Appalachian music has been marketed and sold to a growing population of expropriated Appalachians, who leave home in search of an economic freedom that could not be found in the mountains. Oftentimes, Appalachian musicians must also flee their home communities in order to achieve a certain level of success in a capitalist hierarchy. This mass disconnection from place has allowed for the widespread consumption of the Appalachian natural world, which has in turn led to human and environmental disasters that occur in the name of wealth accumulation. Capitalism has created a culture of consumption in Appalachia, and this temporary economic structure threatens to fully consume the Appalachian environment at thesame time that it consumes the culture that Appalachia would bring into the world.