Alana M. Anton

I believe that sociology is a magical way of understanding the world. Its concepts can help us get to a more just and equitable society.

I feel a moral obligation to do the work both within myself and in the culture around me to leave it better than it was when I started; a tall order in the twenty-first century. This is the foundation of my family, my research, my teaching, my parenting, and my volunteerism.

I have a BS in sociology from the University of West Georgia (Go Wolves!) where I also received my MA. My focus was primarily on the sociology of religion and its political history. I have a Ph.D. in Sociology from Georgia State University where my focus is on rural and Appalachian studies.

My Work

Research

My current research focuses on identity in the Appalachian region. As a GA girl raised in the foothills, I feel a strong connection to the land and people, my people, of the mountains. As a queer woman with unseen mental health disabilities seeking community here in the mountains of SC, I wish to shine a light on the forgotten populations that are, in our own way, thriving.

My work has won the Carl A. Ross Award for outstanding graduate student paper from the Appalachian Studies Association in 2018 and the Georgia State Dissertation Provost Fellowship in 2022.

Public Sociology

I write for the rest of us. My goal as a sociologist is to bring about a more just and equitable world. I do not think there can be sociology without activism. My work is featured on Medium, B!tch Media, 100 Days in Appalachia, Activist History Review, and Appalnet. I have been an expert guest on Dixieland of the Proletariat, Queer Mountaineers, and the Evoking History podcasts.