Violence, Silence and Four Truths in American Historical Memory
Author(s): Barbara J. Little
Year: 2018
Summary
Just days before I wrote this abstract, the city of New Orleans finished removing four monuments to the Confederacy and the Lost Cause, inspiring other cities to consider the same. This example of people taking control of the narrative inscribed in their own landscape serves as backdrop to this session in which we reflect on the changing nature of place-based historical memory. I consider the changing nature of America and what it means to be a society that appears to be moving away from a stable peace. I use Phillip Seitz’ characterization of white history as an amalgamation of selective memory, glorification of privilege, and the suppression of truth, along with the four types of truth identified by Truth and Reconciliation Commissions to examine the intersections between past and present violence and possibilities for healing through the rehabilitation of narrative.
Cite this Record
Violence, Silence and Four Truths in American Historical Memory. Barbara J. Little. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, New Orleans, Louisiana. 2018 ( tDAR id: 441372)
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Keywords
General
Memory
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Narrative
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reconcilation
Geographic Keywords
North America
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United States of America
Spatial Coverage
min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology
Record Identifiers
PaperId(s): 126