"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experience familiar: a history represented by upper class homes; socially elite governing boards and societies; outdated and non-inclusive interpretive exhibits; the tour guide who is a local history 'gatekeeper;' emphasis on decorative arts and furnishings on a historic house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<br /><br />"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

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.
Les mer
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
Les mer
"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experience familiar: a history represented by upper class homes; socially elite governing boards and societies; outdated and non-inclusive interpretive exhibits; the tour guide who is a local history 'gatekeeper;' emphasis on decorative arts and furnishings on a historic house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
Les mer

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780791414842
Publisert
1993-07-01
Utgiver
Vendor
State University of New York Press
Vekt
200 gr
Høyde
229 mm
Bredde
152 mm
Dybde
25 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
136

Forfatter

Biographical note

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