The Changing South: A Vine for Postmodern Times: an Update on Kudzu at the Close of the Twentieth Century

S o u th e a s te rn G e o g ra p h e r V o l. X X X V III, N o . 2 , N o v e m b e r 1 9 9 8 , p p . 1 6 7 -1 7 9 THE CHANGING SOUTH A V IN E F O R P O S T M O D E R N T IM E S : A N U P D A T E O N K U D Z U A T T H E C L O S E O F T H E T W E N T IE T H C E N T U R Y ' D erek H. Alderman D e s p ite its s tro n g p r e s e n c e in th e S o u th , th e e x o tic a n d in v a s iv e v in e k u d z u h a s r e c e iv e d little a n a ­ ly tic a l a tte n tio n fro m g e o g ra p h e rs . A n o te w o rth y e x c e p tio n w a s a n a rtic le p u b lis h e d in th is jo u r n a l 2 5 y e a r s a g o b y W in b e rry a n d J o n e s (1 9 7 3 ). In th a t p ie c e , th e a u th o rs d e s c rib e d h o w k u d z u s h ifte d fro m b e in g c o n s id e r e d a h ig h ly v a lu e d r e s o u r c e to its p r e s e n t s ta tu s o f a p e s t a n d so c ia l p ro b le m . T h is p a p e r p r o v id e s a n u p d a te o n t h e r o le a n d s ta tu s o f k u d z u a t th e c lo s e o f th e 2 0 th c e n tu r y . E m p lo y in g F in e ’s ( 1 9 9 7 ) c o n c e p t o f “ n a tu re w o rk ,” th is p a p e r h a s tw o s p e c if ic o b je c tiv e s . F irst, I e x p lo r e th e m u ltip le a n d s o m e tim e s c o n tr a d ic to r y w a y s in w h ic h p e o p le a r e c u ltu r a lly d e f in in g ( a n d r e d e f in in g ) th e ir r e la tio n s h ip to k u d z u . W h ile s till s e e n r a th e r n e g a tiv e ly , th e v in e a ls o is e m e r g in g a s a p o p u la r s y m b o l w ith in p e o p le ’s c u ltu r a l a c tiv itie s a n d r e p re s e n ta tio n s . S e c o n d , I e x a m in e k u d z u ’s r o le a s a m e ta p h...