Phillips to Present on Back-to-the-Land Movement March 15

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The Arkansas Folklife Web Series, presented by Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts, continues this month with a presentation by Jared Phillips on the history and evolving culture of the back-to-the-land movement in Northwest Arkansas. This session will be held at 1 p.m. March 15. The webinar is free and open to the public, and registration is required.

Phillips and his wife, Lindi, run a small, mixed power farm on the western edge of the Arkansas Ozarks where they raise heritage sheep, hogs and forage. In addition to farming, Phillips, who holds a doctorate in American history, teaches on rural development, human rights and food security for the U of A's International and Global Studies Program. Among his other projects, Phillips helped found the Ozarkansas Tool Library, and he is the author of Hipbillies: Deep Revolution in the Arkansas Ozarks. His current work examines agrarian futures in rural communities as a means to counter the excesses of globalization.

Phillips has one foot in farming and one in academia because, as he says, "They both bleed into each other, so it's hard to separate them out. To me, being a son of the hills in the way that I am means I have to care for them the best that I can. So, on the one hand, I study and write and advocate for them — their past, our future. But I also believe in being an active participant in the process, so aside from just absolutely loving farming (and farming with horses), it keeps me grounded and connected with the world I study and fight for."

Phillips will speak on how the back-to-the-land movement influences his farming and life during his upcoming session.

Future sessions of the Arkansas Folklife Web Series include:

• April 19 — Allison Williams, musician – Intersection of Folk and Punk Music
• May 17 — Ed Pennebaker, glass artist – Showcase, History with Artform
• June 21 — Freda Cruse Hardison, author – Cherokee Nation History and Culture
• Sept. 20 — Janis Kearney, Celebrate! Maya Project – Community Activism
• Oct. 18 — Eric Maynard – TBA

Questions about the 2023 Arkansas Folklife Web Series may be directed to Lauren Willette at willette@uark.edu. Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts is a statewide program of the University of Arkansas Libraries dedicated to building cross-cultural understanding by documenting, presenting and sustaining Arkansas' living traditional arts and cultural heritage.