LEXINGTON, Ky. (January 30, 2026) – Central Appalachia has powered the nation for generations — fueling industry, building cities, and supporting economic growth far beyond the region itself. But as coal and other extractive industries decline, communities across Appalachia are once again facing transition. The question, as many have learned through hard experience, isn’t whether change is coming — it’s whether that change will be just.
On this episode of Behind the Blue, Shaunna Scott, a recently retired associate professor of sociology in the UK Department of Sociology and Kathryn Engle, an adjunct assistant professor of sociology and the director of the UK Appalachian Center discuss a new book they co-edited, Toward Just Transitions: Visions for Regenerative Communities in Appalachia.
Drawing on decades of scholarship, community-based research, and on-the-ground activism, the conversation explores what it means to move beyond extractive economies toward futures grounded in democracy, equity, health, and local control.
Scott and Engle frame Appalachia not only as a region shaped by coal and industrial decline, but as a place already rich with grassroots innovation—from local food systems and youth leadership to cooperative ownership and Indigenous perspectives on land and stewardship. Together, they reflect on history, climate change, racial and economic justice, and the role institutions like the University of Kentucky can play in supporting community-led solutions across the Commonwealth.
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