Vol. 38, No. 18

2-27-2007
By: Richard Gillette

Ambitious project explores Midwest

Asked to describe the Midwest, outsiders typically depict the region as rather sedate, cautious and comfortable in its ways.

“The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia” firmly debunks that stereotype and many others. The book, an immense project managed by the Institute for Collaborative Research and Public Humanities in the College of Humanities, was released in February.

Taking more than six years to complete, with more than 1,000 contributors and close to 30 editors from across the country, “The American Midwest” explores, interprets and chronicles the region in an array of stories, entries and essays.

Christian Zacher, professor of English and director of the ICRPH, led the project as co-editor. Also serving as co-editors were Richard Sisson, emeritus provost and professor of political science, and Andrew Cayton, Distinguished Professor of History at Miami University.

The wide variety of topics makes the book, with more than 1,800 pages, an interesting and educational read for anyone, especially those native to the Midwest.

“We wanted it to be monumental so that as it sits on a table or a shelf it suggests by its very physical size the importance of the region,” Zacher said.

The book captures the Midwest spirit and culture in a way that people of the region —or those who have left but who will always call themselves Midwesterners — will find easy to relate to.

That Midwest uniqueness is best described in the book using the words of famous singer and songwriter Bob Dylan.

Asked why he left his home state of Minnesota, he said, “It couldn’t give me anything.” But almost in the same breath, he conceded, “Minnesota wouldn’t be such a bad place to go back to die in. There’s no place I feel closer to now, or get the feeling that I’m part of, except maybe New York; but I’m not a New Yorker. I’m North Dakota-Minnesota-Midwestern. I’m that color. I speak that way. I’m from someplace called the Iron Range. My brains and feelings have come from there.”

In 1998, Indiana University Press approached Zacher and others at the ICRPH to see about their interest in producing the major work on the Midwest. Although a daunting task, Zacher said the project fit ideally with the institute’s goal to encourage cooperative research on and off campus among scholars in the humanities and colleagues in the arts and sciences.

“The project is a perfect illustration of the kind of collaborative research and scholarship we wanted to promote,” he said.

Zacher said credit for the project start and obtaining initial funding should go to Sisson. The project was funded through a National Endowment for the Humanities grant and several private donors.

“He played a huge part in the success of this project,” Zacher said.

The book contains 24 topical sections including overview essays and almost 1,500 entries from various authors and nearly 500 photos and illustrations. It introduces readers to the cultural diversity, politics, history and innovations of the Midwest.

“We believe we make the case that the Midwest embodies the national culture more than any other region of the county,” Zacher said.

One appealing part of the book, among many, is the collection of portrait essays written about each of the 12 states making up the region.

In an essay about Indiana, popular author Kurt Vonnegut wrote, “What geography can give all Middle Westerners, along with the fresh water and topsoil, if they let it, is awe for an Edenic continent stretching forever in all directions. Makes you religious. Takes your breath away.”

Plans are in place to put the book online, according to Zacher, and use it in a future university class

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