Inscoe professorship to support study of the history of the American South

The University of Georgia Franklin College of Arts and Sciences announced the John C. Inscoe Professorship in History. The new professorship, approved by the USG Board of Regents, honors longtime UGA faculty member John Inscoe, who recently retired after nearly 35 years at the university.  Nearly three hundred of Inscoe’s students, colleagues, family members, and friends contributed the funds endowing the new professorship.

Inscoe, who served as the Albert Saye Professor of History as well as a Distinguished University Professor, is an award-winning teacher and scholar of the American South. The author of numerous books, articles, essays, and book chapters, Inscoe is best known for his research on the history of Appalachia. In works such as Mountain Masters and Race, War, and Remembrance in the Appalachian South, Inscoe explored how this misunderstood region fit into the larger history of the United States.

In addition to his own writings, Inscoe served for many years as both the editor of the Georgia Historical Quarterly as well as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Southern Historical Association.  He was also the founding editor of the New Georgia Encyclopedia, the nation’s first all-digital state encyclopedia. In the spirit of publicly-supported scholarship, the NGE is a freely available public resource detailing the history and culture of the state of Georgia.

“Over the course of a storied career, John Inscoe amassed a remarkable record of scholarship and service,” said Stephen Mihm, professor of history and associate dean in the Franklin College.  “This professorship, funded largely through the generosity of his former students and colleagues, honors John’s many contributions while insuring that the study of Southern history remains alive and well here at the University of Georgia.”

Image: John Inscoe