Dr. Anna Rachel Terman
Over three years, Dr. Anna Rachel Terman was engaged in field research in West Virginia.
Now in her second year at Ohio University, Terman, Assistant Professor of Sociology, has completed her research and presented a portion of her findings Aug. 9 at the Rural Sociological Society Conference in Toronto.
In her presentation on “Gender, Sexuality, and the Social Construction of Communities in Appalachia,” Terman says she examines “how people create a sense of belonging in Appalachia.” She focuses on gender and sexuality, as identities related to place. Specifically, she looks at why young people stay in the region despite the economic struggles and how this relates to their identity.
Her expertise in Appalachia stems from her interest in the complex social and economic conditions of this region.
For example, she states that the dominance of masculinity in rural regions peaked her interest in looking at the experiences of women and LGBTQ individuals in “how they negotiate their sense of belonging along with their gender and sexual identities.”
In order to understand how people with minority identities fit into these rural areas, Terman conducted several focus groups with college students and individual interviews with college graduates.
Research Highlights Voices of People Active in Their Communities
For Terman, the process of research is highly enjoyable. She says she loves conducting qualitative research (interviews, field observations, etc.) because of the personal connection she is able to forge with her subjects.
“It’s always rewarding for me to be in that experience and create a bond with someone else right away.”
Terman says her research is important to understanding the social conditions of Appalachian communities.
“People have ideas about whether rural communities are good places to live. I think there is a lot judgment on the people who live there, especially people who have minority identities.”
People with a minority status often struggle to figure out their sense of place in their community. Terman says her goal was to “highlight the voices of those people. To show that they are not just victims sitting there passively, and they are active in their communities.”
She says it’s important to keep in mind that the racial, sexual, gender and place identities of people are all “pieces of their whole self.” She emphasizes that this fact is “really important to keep in mind when people are trying to understand rural communities.”
Terman says that in many communities, topics of race, gender, and sexual identities are difficult to talk about. Her research contributes to this conversation in allowing people to be aware of the everyday struggles and triumphs minorities live through within their community.
“My greatest hope as a sociologist is for people in the community to use sociological knowledge to make their communities better—and to make to the interactions between people more meaningful.”
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