Interview with James C. Cobb, October 30, 2018

Collection: Two-Party Georgia Oral History Project

Dublin Core

Description

James C. Cobb was born and raised in Hartwell, Georgia. A “Triple Dawg,” Cobb earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees at the University of Georgia. A historian, Cobb has held numerous teaching positions around the country, and he is the author of numerous acclaimed books and articles, including The Selling of the South: The Southern Crusade for Industrial Development, The Most Southern Place on Earth: The Mississippi Delta and the Roots of Regional Identity, Away Down South: A History of Southern Identity, and The South and American Since World War II. His opinions and commentary have appeared in outlets including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, New York Times, Time, and Wall Street Journal. Cobb is the B. Phinizy Spalding Professor in the History of the American South Emeritus at the University of Georgia, past President of the Southern Historical Association, and the winner of the 2015 Governor’s Award for the Humanities. He resides in Athens.

Cobb talks about growing up in Hartwell, Georgia, and his early interest in history. He reflects on his history education as well as his own approaches to research, writing, and teaching. The bulk of the interview is devoted to the Cobb’s analysis of southern culture and its impact on the region’s politics, especially in Georgia. He offers his view on the role of race in southern politics. The interview closes with Cobb’s assessment of the upcoming 2018 midterm elections and their potential impact Georgia’s political trajectory.

Date

2018-10-30

Identifier

RBRL425TPGA-064

Coverage

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Citation

James C. Cobb and Katie Schank, “Interview with James C. Cobb, October 30, 2018,” UGA Special Collections Libraries Oral Histories, accessed March 29, 2024, https://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/RBRL425TPGA/RBRL425TPGA-064.