The Politics of Public Memory: Tourism, History, and Ethnicity in Monterey, California / Edition 1

by Martha K. Norkunas

Overview

This book examines American public culture and the means by which communities in the U.S. reconstruct the past and reinterpret the present in the development of tourism. Norkunas shows how public culture is not confined to just museums or monuments, but can be constructed on many different levels and in different settings, such as community ethnicity, natural setting (environment), literary landscape, and history. In her case study of Monterey, the author explores the particular ideologies that prompt the community to represent itself in tourism, and that also act to legitimate the current social structure.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780791414842
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	07/01/1993
Series:	SUNY series in Oral and Public History
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	136
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Martha K. Norkunas is Cultural Affairs Director of the Lowell (MA) Historic Preservation Commission.

Table of Contents

Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Introduction: An Intellectual Journey to the Politics of Culture

Ethnography and History: The Monterey Example

The Construction of Public History Texts

The Literary Landscape and the Industrial Past

Nature, History, and Ethnicity

Public History, Tourist Landscapes, and the Reconfiguration of Reality: Concluding Thoughts

Appendix: Site Descriptions of the Path of History

Bibliography

Index

Editorial Reviews

"Many people will find the elements of the Monterey experience familiar: a history represented by upper class homes; socially elite governing boards and societies; outdated and non-inclusive interpretive exhibits; the tour guide who is a local history 'gatekeeper;' emphasis on decorative arts and furnishings on a historic house tour; the lack of emphasis on industrial history; the commercial exploitation of adaptively used industrial buildings. The commonality of these problems will indeed make the book useful and an important reference point to what each of us is doing at home." —John A. Herbst, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania

"This is a well-written book that provides good, hard, informed analysis of Monterey's historic sites and history-related developments. The sites here are representative of others, and the issues raised apply nationwide. These are important issues, too, concerning as they do the uses of history in contemporary society. The book deserves a wide audience." — Robert Weible, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

From the Publisher

Examines one of the many cases of American communities reconstructing the past and reinterpreting the present in order to develop a tourist industry. Identifies the particular ideologies that prompt residents to represent themselves in tourism and that also legitimate the established social structure. Paper edition (unseen), $12.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews