FORUM Magazine Fall 2003

FORUM Magazine Fall 2003

Florida's Elusive Identity
By Stephen J. Whitfield
Does Florida have its own culture-one that is separate and distinguishable from its neighboring states, its region, from the rest of the nation, or even from the state's Latin American neighbors? Can a state that has historically exhibited as much ethnic, religious, and racial diversity as Florida be said to have a sense of commonality that is authoritative enough, decisive enough, to form the identity of the state's residents?
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South but not Southern By John Shelton Reed
I confess that, now and then, I've taken some cheap shots at Florida's expense. In a talk I often give to civic clubs and other groups, for example, I try to draw some sensible geographic boundaries for the South. Starting with the common understanding that there is such a thing and the general agreement that Mississippi and Alabama are in it, and working out from there, I talk about Texas and Kentucky and other more marginal southern states. I can always get a laugh by asking, "And what do we do about Florida?"
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