Elizabeth Payne (Faculty Member is Retired, or has otherwise left the University)
Professor of History
Phone Number: (662)915-7629
Email: epayne@olemiss.edu
http://history.olemiss.edu/2011/11/18/elizabeth-a-payne-professor/

Key Words: American Progressivism, Women, Religion

Research Description: Dr. Elizabeth Payne, UM Professor of History, and five of her doctoral students have attracted national attention with their groundbreaking research project chronicling the oral histories of older women in North Mississippi. Dr. Payne's director's notes can be found here. The focus of Making Do is the women who came of age during the World War II era. The subjects recount their experiences with the sharecropping system and race relations, as well as share how the Great Depression and industrialization affected their lives. They come from all economic backgrounds and are both black and white. The documentary is a valuable oral history in which Southerners born before WWII record for others the joys and hardships of a vanished way of life. Making Do includes over 75 interviews, photos, brief biographies, and video excerpts. To view the full length documentary click here. The project was supported by the Department of History and the Division of Outreach

Honors Theses:

Place, Eric Scott (2011) "Real Americans: Representations of Sharecroppers During the Great Depression:

Watson, Katherine Grace (2011) "It was Necessary That Somebody Do What I Was Doing, and I Did It: The Biography of Juanita McCown Hight"