Missouri State Journal

In southwest Missouri, a scholar takes a look at immigrant and refugee populations

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Pineville is a city in and the county seat of McDonald County, Missouri.
Jimmy Emerson

MSU Libraries staff member conducts study.

Earlier this year, the State Historical Society of Missouri awarded Center for Missouri Studies 2022 fellowships to several scholars. One of the recipients was Craig Amason from the Missouri State University Libraries.

He received the award for his study, “The Impact of Immigration in McDonald County in the Twenty-First Century.” Located in southwest Missouri, McDonald County has become home to immigrant and refugee populations from several different countries. Many of them work at poultry processing facilities in the multi-state Ozarks region.

Amason, who serves as associate director of the Ozarks Folklife Festival, talks about his project.

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A native of Malaysia, Emily moved to Springfield in 2010 and started working at Missouri State University in 2014. She’s currently the assistant director in the Office of Strategic Communication. She has a BA in Mass Communications from Colorado State University-Pueblo and a Master of Journalism from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.