The Critical Conservationist: George Gibson and Patterns of Vernacular Resistance 1

This article examines how an eastern Kentucky banjo player harnesses a range of vernacular initiatives to criticize and counter unwelcome outside incursions. Musician George Gibson feels his native region has been "culturally strip-mined" by revivalists and scholars, while corporate management of natural resources has left local people exploited. Employing a multi-pronged approach that includes music, pedagogy, historical research, and environmental protection, Gibson works to combat these external forces in a manner that draws on a number of pre-existing local traditions.