In Mind and Place

Soundscapes of Slavery at the University of Mississippi

Lyceum Building, University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi, November 2018. Photograph courtesy of imac / Alamy Stock Photo.

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In Mind and Place

Soundscapes of Slavery at the University of Mississippi

by Kristin Gee Hickman
Southern Cultures, Vol. 27, No. 4: Sonic South

“Mundane practices are what form habits, stabilize norms, and reproduce culture. This begs the question: What culture am I reproducing by repeating the words Ole Miss?”

As someone not originally from the South, I find it difficult to pronounce the words “Ole Miss.” Saying it feels like playing dress-up because it forces me, even if just for a moment, to put on someone else’s accent (and I am terrible at accents). Every time I try to put the words in my mouth, I feel an immense sense of discomfort, as if I’m mocking someone unintentionally. Ole. My mouth unsteadily rounds to accommodate the foreign sound, but it always feels awkwardly incomplete. “Can’t I just say ‘Old’ instead?”

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