Settler traditions: Slade Nakoff, From Tidewater to Tennessee: The Structuring Influences of Virginia Schemata in the Settlement of East Tennessee, MA dissertation, East Tennessee State University, 2024 | settler colonial studies blog

Settler traditions: Slade Nakoff, From Tidewater to Tennessee: The Structuring Influences of Virginia Schemata in the Settlement of East Tennessee, MA dissertation, East Tennessee State University, 2024

10May24

Abstract: Through an interdisciplinary methodological approach combining schema theory, memory studies, and material culture analysis, this study outlines the retention of mentalities from Tidewater, Virginia, to East Tennessee during the early settlement period. By utilizing the case study of John Carter of Watauga (1728-1781), the research illustrates how Virginian origins shaped settlers’ perceptions of privilege through inheritance, ordered society, and models of success, as well as commodification through ownership, resource extraction, and speculation. Findings reveal that Virginian mental frameworks were foundational paradigms, guiding settlers’ actions and perpetuating hierarchical structures within Tennessee society. Despite the opportunity for deviation that migration and community establishment provided, elite settlers chose to assimilate and reestablish the dominant position of Virginian schemata within their new environment. The persistence of Virginian schemata in Tennessee informs broader questions of identity formation, migrant nostalgia, and the enduring legacy of colonial mentalities in shaping American history.

Filed under: Uncategorized | Closed