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Date Permissions Signed

2-12-2021

Date of Award

Winter 2021

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Department or Program Affiliation

History

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

History

First Advisor

Zarrow, Sarah

Second Advisor

Hardesty, Jared

Third Advisor

Pihos, Peter Constantine

Abstract

In this work, I engage in comparative analysis of the institutional histories of three American commemorative sites to atrocity: the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C., the Whitney Plantation Museum in Edgard, Louisiana, and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. Using comparative case studies and employing a narrative-focused analytical framework to analyze each site, I determine how the origins of each site influences the ways it uses atrocity, and how the specific framing of atrocity in each space shapes historical consciousness and collective memories for visitors. This thesis demonstrates the power of commemorative sites to influence historical understanding in the U.S., and the potential for commemorative sites to foster inclusivity and promote more socially just mindsets and practices nationally.

Type

Text

Keywords

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, National Memorial for Peace and Justice, Whitney Plantation Museum, EJI, Holocaust, Lynching, Heritage Site, Commemoration, Framing

Publisher

Western Washington University

OCLC Number

1241201731

Subjects – Names (LCNAF)

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; Equal Justice Initiative

Subject – LCSH

Holocaust memorials--United States--Influence; Slavery--Museums--Louisiana--Influence; Frames (Sociology)--Case studies

Format

application/pdf

Genre/Form

masters theses

Language

English

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.

Rights Statement

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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