The Southern State of Mind is a 1999 non-fiction essay collection edited by Jan Nordby Gretlund, published by University of South Carolina Press.
It has a total of sixteen essays. They are divided into four parts: "The Biracial South," "The Changing State of Mind,"[1] "Reconstructing Southern Identity,"[2] and one more section,[3] "Looking South and Back."
Charles Reagan Wilson wrote "The Myth of the Biracial South," which discusses contradictory definitions of the word "biracial" from different individuals.[4]
Tony Badger wrote an essay on how there is little cooperation between white and black people in the political sphere and that left-leaning white people working in politics are "much too intimidated."[4]
Paul M. Gaston wrote an article on the distortion of the public image of Martin Luther King that downplayed the ferocity in his politics when he was alive.[4]
Helen Oakley of the University of Nottingham stated that the essays demonstrate a decrease in "optimism" towards Black-White relationships.[5]
The final essay by C. Vann Woodward discusses his observation of a resurgence in racial segregation.[6]
Julie Armstrong of Valdosta State University stated that the work "holds together well" but would have been improved with "More diversity" in topics covered and the types of authors.[3] She added that at times the essays show candor in the state of race relations but the essays about Southern literature are "biased towards white writers."[1]
Gaines M. Foster of Louisiana State University praised the "thoughtful discussions of the state of the southern mind and race relations".[7]
Oakley described the book as a "valuable reference point".[8]
Bertram Wyatt-Brown of the University of Florida wrote that the book "presents an uncompromisingly realistic look" at the trajectory of Black-White relationships in the Southern United States at the time of publication.[6]