The Department of Political Science’s Dr. Gibbs Knotts received the 2017 Distinguished Research Award at the Celebration of Faculty ceremony on April 27. Established in 1977, the College of Charleston Distinguished Research Award recognizes one roster faculty member who has a significant research career and the award is based on the faculty member’s scholarly works within the past few years.
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Brian McGee presented the award to Dr. Knotts and noted, “Since hired as a chair of Political Science in 2012, Professor Gibbs Knotts has established an exceptional scholarly record while meeting the demands of leading a large department. As a scholar of Southern Politics, Gibbs has published a university-press book, fifteen peer reviewed articles, three book chapters, and over 30 op-ed pieces in local and national outlets that address timely and pressing issues related to local, state, regional and national politics.”
“Gibbs focuses on issues around the political impact of Southern identity,” said McGee. “His recently published coauthored book, The Resilience of Southern Identity: Why the South Still Matters in the Minds of Its People (UNC Press, 2017) is the culmination of analysis of how Southerners understand their Southern identity. As the Executive Editor of UNC Press noted, The Resilience of Southern Identity is ‘the first book in 30 years to use the tools of social scientists to investigate Southern identity.’ The committee tasked with selection for the Distinguished Research Award was also impressed with how Gibbs’ work reaches a wide audience inside academia as well as in the media.”
According to Dr. Knotts, his most recent book “documents the continuing strength of southern identity but also investigates why southern identity remains such a powerful force in the wake of in-migration, urbanization, and technological advancement.” He draws on literature in geography, history, American studies, sociology, psychology, and political science to explore this topic.
Dr. Knotts is the third political science professor to receive this distinguished award. Dr. Guoli Liu received this honor in 2005 and Dr. Jack Parson was recognized in 1987.