Forgetting

Summary

The production of history is inherently political and often involves legitimating the status quo by obscuring the historical roots of contemporary inequality. This paper investigates how residents of an affluent suburb on Long Island came to remember one of their historic places as a site representing white, colonial history and heritage exclusively when in fact it was a historically diverse household comprised of white family members and nonwhite laborers. The masking of plural space and increased invisibility of black labor during the post-emancipation period serves as evidence. This research suggests that selective forgetting and the production of local narratives signaled which groups belonged as members in the Setauket community, resulting in the uneven visibility and preservation of sites related to the village’s historical origins. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Archaeologies Of Violence And Privilege   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 704