Queering Mayberry

An Exploration of Sexuality and Gender in the Andy Griffith Show

Author: Matthew Thomas-Reid

Hardcover

Queering Mayberry: An Exploration of Sexuality and Gender in the Andy Griffith Show reexamines the show through the frame of queer theory, offering a fresh perspective on its significance in the Southern Appalachians. It will be valuable to scholars and students in Appalachian studies, media studies, queer theory, and social history.

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Queering Mayberry: An Exploration of Sexuality and Gender in the Andy Griffith Show is an interdisciplinary study which reexamines The Andy Griffith Show through the frame of queer theory, offering a fresh perspective on its cultural significance in the Southern Appalachians.

Amid current debates on Critical Race Theory and LGBTQIA+ rights, the nostalgic pull of the “Myth of Mayberry” remains potent. This work critiques the restorative nostalgia surrounding small-town southern ideals, arguing that disrupting the monolithic image of southern conservative, Christian, cisgender identity requires a critical look at the cultural artifacts that helped shape it. Through a combination of historical research, including original episode scripts with Andy Griffith's notes, cultural studies, and performance theory, it uncovers a complex relationship between queerness and Southern Appalachian identity.

Queering Mayberry: An Exploration of Sexuality and Gender in the Andy Griffith Show will be valuable to scholars and students in Appalachian studies, media studies, queer theory, and social history.

About the Author

Matthew Thomas-Reid, Ph.D is Associate Professor in Leadership and Educational Studies and affiliate faculty with Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies at Appalachian State University. He began his career as a middle school social studies teacher, and his areas of research include Appalachian Studies, philosophy of education, cultural studies, and gender and sexuality.