Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 7-2006 A “Southern Tradition?”: Stockcar Racing as Contextual Tradition Patrick A. Lindsay Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Lindsay, Patrick A., "A “Southern Tradition?”: Stockcar Racing as Contextual Tradition" (2006). Master's Theses. 1416. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/1416 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. A “SOUTHERN TRADITION?”: STOCKCAR RACING AS CONTEXTUAL TRADITION by Patrick A. Lindsay A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Degree of Master of Arts Department of Anthropology Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan July 2006 A “SOUTHERN TRADITION?”: STOCKCAR RACING AS CONTEXTUAL TRADITION Patrick Lindsay, M.A. Western Michigan University, 2006 A large number of academics who have examined stockcar racing have concluded that stockcar racing is a “Southern tradition.” While the implicit definitions of tradition may vary, many generally agree that there is a clear historical relationship between stock car racing and the South. It is my contention that the idea that stockcar racing is a “Southern” tradition does not represent the reality of stockcar racing fandom for many people outside of the South. I assert that stock car racing is instead a “contextual tradition”, a practice that became labeled a tradition through specific historical and cultural circumstances.