Once again, the eyes of the nation, and indeed the world, are transfixed on the tale of the American south.
The dust of the violent and deadly clashes in the streets of the college town of Charlottesville between right-wing and left-wing fascists has settled and self-reflection has begun.
For many around the world, the American south remains an odd place with many strange rituals and a bewildering anachronism in the form of a glorified Confederate past.