The Kanawha County Textbook Controversy: A Study of the Politics of Life Style Concern

Abstract

Kanawha County, West Virginia is the scene of a continuing protest over the content of textbooks used in the public schools. This protest is analyzed within a reformulated theoretical framework of status politics derived from Weber and Gusfield. The background and development of this moral crusade are examined, as well as its organization, leadership, and the basic issues of the conflict. The conflict is viewed as a struggle between status groups for control of the means of the production of life styles. The protest is interpreted as the politics of life style concern. Protestors are expressing a direct concern about the erosion of their control over their way of life.