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Powerlessness and Pollution in Alleghany County, Virginia: A Historical Analysis of Paternalism and Economic Coercion in Appalachia and its Relationship with Environmental Degradation

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dc.contributor.authorWrenn, Corey Leeen
dc.contributor.committeecochairSmith, Barbara Ellenen
dc.contributor.committeecochairCalasanti, Toni M.en
dc.contributor.committeememberRiden, Carlen
dc.contributor.departmentSociologyen
dc.date.accessioned2014-03-14T20:44:16Zen
dc.date.adate2008-09-22en
dc.date.available2014-03-14T20:44:16Zen
dc.date.issued2008-08-06en
dc.date.rdate2008-09-22en
dc.date.sdate2008-08-26en
dc.description.abstractAlleghany County, an extractive community, has depended heavily upon a single paper mill known as MeadWestvaco for over a century. The purpose of this study is to explore the degree to which MeadWestvaco utilizes paternalism and economic coercion as forms of power to control and maintain community quiescence regarding the company's negative environmental impact in Alleghany County. This paper mill has negatively affected Alleghany County relative to other Virginia communities. However, there has been very little local action against the paper mill's environmental impact. To define and recognize paternalism and economic coercion, I undertake a historical analysis of the cotton textile industry of the Southern Piedmont and coal mining industry of Southern Appalachia, where these systems of power have been documented. In applying the indicators of paternalism and economic coercion found in these nearby Southern industries to Alleghany County, Virginia, I find that MeadWestvaco utilizes both strategies to some degree to control and influence community awareness of and response to the company's environmental damage.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Scienceen
dc.identifier.otheretd-08262008-224810en
dc.identifier.sourceurlhttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-08262008-224810/en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/34783en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.relation.haspartWrennv2.pdfen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectpaternalismen
dc.subjectunionismen
dc.subjectlabor relationsen
dc.subjectenvironmenten
dc.subjectAppalachiaen
dc.subjecteconomic dependenceen
dc.subjecteconomic coercionen
dc.titlePowerlessness and Pollution in Alleghany County, Virginia: A Historical Analysis of Paternalism and Economic Coercion in Appalachia and its Relationship with Environmental Degradationen
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineSociologyen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen

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