Regional Renewal: The American Midwest and the Idea of Regionalism (Heartland History)

The American Midwest and the Idea of Regionalism traces the birth, rise, and evolution of regional thought in the American Midwest from the concept's emergence in the 1890s to its national and global implications in the early 21st century. In three parts, author Michael C. Steiner describes how the idea of regionalism arose from the American Midwest, drawing connections between and across many of the cultural movements and actors of US history.First, Steiner outlines how the Middle West, as a constellation of Native and settler cultures, gave rise to the nation's first regional thought.He then focuses on the lives and theories of the most significant contributors to this philosophy-John Wesley Powell, Jane Addams, Frederick Jackson Turner, and Hamlin Garland-before examining its evolution in the first half of the 20th century with the influence of Black intellectuals and artists, from Langston Hughes and Gordon Parks to Margaret Walker and Richard Wright.Following their enduring impact