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03.17.06 Dr. Charles Joyner South Carolina scholar delivers Stukes Lecture Dr. Charles Joyner, Burroughs Distinguished Professor of Southern History and Culture at Coastal Carolina University, delivered the 20th annual Joseph T. Stukes Lecture at Erskine College Thursday. His topic was "The Emergence of African-American Culture: All Saints Parish, South Carolina." McDonald-Boswell Professor of History Dr. James Gettys introduced Joyner, who talked initially about his early days as a student of folklore. One man he met during this time, Joyner said, "changed my life" and sparked his interest in further study of folk culture. "I met so many brilliant, uneducated people," he recalled. Joyner, whose international reputation rests on his 1984 book, "Down by the Riverside: A South Carolina Slave Community," spoke about several elements of culture, focusing on language, as they developed among Africans in the American South. "Language is where most of us learn most of our culture," he said. "A language is important because it has not just parts of speech but a structure." African slaves had to learn to communicate even with each other since they came from a linguistically diverse continent. "Slaves often knew more than one African language," Joyner said. Gullah, spoken among African slaves and their descendants in the Low Country of South Carolina and in neighboring islands and coastal regions, developed as a "new and creative creole language" from the convergence of English and a number of African languages, Joyner said. Joyner served this year as president of the Southern Historical Association, and is the author, co-author, or editor of a number of books, including his classic work, "Down by the Riverside: A South Carolina Slave Community," which earned a National University Press Book Award and is considered by some to be the finest work on American slavery. He holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of South Carolina as well as a Ph.D. in folklore and folk life from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to writing and teaching, Joyner has produced radio, television and film programs about the South and has made a number of appearances on PBS. He was narrator and principal consultant for "Gullah Tales," nominated for an Academy Award as best live action short subject. The Joseph T. Stukes Lecture Series brings a distinguished lecturer in history to Erskine College each year. The fund was established by students and colleagues of Stukes, who served as professor of history (1966-74) and vice president for academic affairs (1966-71) at Erskine College.
Dr. Charles Joyner |
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