Hope and Uncertainty in East Kentucky: Imagining a Future With and Without Coal

This regional study of East Kentucky looks at the ways in which political forces, citizens, non-profits and businesses engage with uncertainty and crisis, and in doing so--actively shape the future of the region. It is no secret that coal has been Appalachian Kentucky’s keystone industry for over a century. However, in 2012 and 2013 coal production plummeted, driving industry employment to its lowest levels since 1927. Dramatic production declines have prompted the region to seriously consider: what’s next? This research is a holistic examination of the recent decline in coal production in Appalachian Kentucky, it: 1) traces the historical development of the current coal industry crisis; 2) deconstructs the narratives that the coal lobby has propagated to explain this crisis; 3) employs ethnographic analyses to understand how communities interpret and experience the effects of a flagging coal industry and related political rhetoric; and 4) demonstrates how people are taking matters into their own hands and experimenting with economic alternatives