Journal of Appalachian Studies
The Journal of Appalachian Studies (JAS) is a refereed, multidisciplinary publication which seeks to provide a written forum for quality scholarship on Appalachian history, culture, and society. The official journal of the Appalachian Studies Association (ASA), the JAS is published twice per year by the University of Illinois Press for the ASA with support from Marshall University. The Journal of Appalachian Studies supersedes earlier publications of the Appalachian Studies Association, including Proceedings and the Journal of the Appalachian Studies Association (JASA).
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Proceedings was the first publication of the Appalachian Studies Conference and included collections of papers presented at the annual conferences. In 1989, the name was changed to the Journal of the Appalachian Studies Association, and the journal began publishing articles, studies, and book reviews in addition to conference papers. The name was again changed to the Journal of Appalachian Studies in the early 1990s when the ASA office relocated to the campus of West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. The current headquarters has been managing publication of the JAS since 2001 when the ASA relocated to Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.
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By providing a venue for pieces regarding all aspects of Appalachia, the JAS is one way in which the ASA fulfills its mission. Membership in the association includes a subscription to the journal. Articles, essays, and studies included in the JAS come from a wide array of disciplines. Anyone can submit work to the JAS for publication consideration, but all submissions must follow the journal’s submissions guidelines.
Photographer: Sabrina L. Greene
How to Access
Online Versions
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Members wishing to access the electronic versions of the Journal of Appalachian Studies should:
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Enter the email address associated with your ASA membership and click 'submit'.
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Click the 'current content' link to view current issues on the Scholarly Publishing Collective (2011-current) or click the 'back content' link to view older issues on JSTOR.
Call for JAS
(Co-) Editor
The search committee for the editorial board of the Journal of Appalachian Studies (JAS) is now accepting applications from individuals and two-person teams to serve as editor / co-editors of the journal. This is an unpaid, volunteer position with renewable four-year terms. If applying as a team, the committee will prioritize teams that combine individuals from different disciplines and career stages. Editorial experience is desirable but not necessary. More important is your experience in and commitment to the interdisciplinary field of Appalachian studies. Applications will be accepted until October 15, 2025.
More information here.
Meredith McCarroll,
Journal Editor
Meredith McCarroll is a writer and educator from western North Carolina. McCarroll earned her PhD in African-American Literature and Film from University of Tennessee, where she focused on critical race theory and critical whiteness studies. She worked as Director of Writing and Rhetoric at Bowdoin College for eight years before launching Dogwood Writing and Editing. She is author of Unwhite: Appalachia, Race, and Film (2018) and co-editor of Appalachian Reckoning: A Region Responds to Hillbilly Elegy, which won the American Book Award and the Weatherford Award for Nonfiction in 2019. She is past President of Appalachian Studies Association where she has served on the Spadaro Award committee. Her essays and stories have appeared in The Guardian, CNN, Boston Globe, New Lines Magazine, Still, Salvation South, and elsewhere. She is a dancer, yoga teacher, and enthusiastic hiker.
Previous Editors of JAS
1995-1997: Ronald L. Lewis
1998-1999: Sally Ward Maggard
2000-2001: Richard A. Couto
2001-2005: Dwight B. Billings
2006-2007: Sandra Hayslette
2008: Edwina Pendarvis
2009-2012: Ted Olsen
2013-2020: Shaunna L. Scott
2020-2024: Rebecca R. Scott
2024-Current: Meredith McCarroll
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