An Internal Colony: Labor Conflict and Capitalism in Appalachian Coal

The Appalachian region's status in the United States is in many ways that of an internal colony. Aspects of the colonial status of the area include the especially brutal character of capitalist exploitation, the one-industry coal economy, absentee ownership, corrupt politics, regressive taxatio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Insurgent Sociologist 1979-01, Vol.8 (4), p.33-43
Main Author: Nyden, Paul J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Appalachia/Appalachian/Appalachians
Colonial/Colonials/Colonialism/ Colonialist
Internal/Internalize/Internalized/ Internalist
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Summary:The Appalachian region's status in the United States is in many ways that of an internal colony. Aspects of the colonial status of the area include the especially brutal character of capitalist exploitation, the one-industry coal economy, absentee ownership, corrupt politics, regressive taxation, a poor educational system, poor social & cultural services, negative attitudes of the rest of the nation toward this region, heavy outmigration, & the emergence of resistance movements. The internal colony theory, however, should not be taken too far; some steps appropriate to true colonies, such as secession or isolated action, would be counterproductive in this setting. W. H. Stoddard.
ISSN:0047-0384
0896-9205
DOI:10.1177/089692057900800403