Imagining the hillbilly

"Li'l Abner,""Deliverance,""The Dukes of Hazzard" -- Hillbillies can symbolize rural backwardness, but they can also be nostalgic figures, evoking simpler times we've forgotten. Why does the hillbilly stereotype endure? Historian Anthony Harkins and sociologist Dwight Billings join Chicago Public Radio's Gretchen Helfrich for the discussion. Harkins is author of"Hillbilly: A Cultural History of an American Icon." Billings is editor of"Back Talk from Appalachia: Confronting Stereotypes."

Dwight Billings is Professor of Sociology and Associate Director, Appalachian Center, University of Kentucky.

Anthony Harkins is Assistant Professor of History, Western Kentucky University.