The essays gathered in this volume explore the prospects for comparison between the American South and the Italian "Mezzogiorno "- two regions with similarities in their processes of modernization, but also with striking social and cultural differences. In twelve broad ranging articles, leading historians consider the comparability of issues as diverse as the sterotypes relating to the two souths, the ideology of the landed elites, thetreatment of laborers on the large landed estates, the importance of gender in the understanding of social relations, and the connections between progressive political forces and between migratory movements across the wo sides of the Atlantic. The essays suggest lines of enquiry for future comparative studies of the American South and the "Mezzogiorno "through careful jaxtaposition of individual case studies focused on specific issues.