A Note on Kudzu
In Fall 2023 we read Soniah Kamal's Georgia Review essay, "Writing the Immigrant Southern in the New New South," in which the author treats kudzu as a representation of the migrant experience in the US South. Taking inspiration from Kamal, the collective discussed how migration has changed the physical, cultural, economic, and political character of the South across time, much like Kudzu has. Migrants, like kudzu, have established communities (or roots), and in the process stitched the South together to form diverse cultures.
Thinking with kudzu as a metaphor for the migrant experience in the US South, our collective asked: how have different migrations and movements shaped the South? What does it mean to be southern? What is the importance of place in the making and understanding of identity?
The resilience that migrants have shown in adapting to new environments. Like kudzu, migrants have often been classified as invasive and harmful to what is "native." Yet their lasting benefits to the Southern economy, culture, and history are undeniable and need to be highlighted. Our cohort's projects illustrate the multitude of interactions, pressures, obstacles, and experiences that inform what it means to be a migrant or a descendant of migrants in the U.S. South.
