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The Social Meaning of Competing Memorial Spaces: Examining the Alabama Confederate Memorial Monument and the National Peace and Justice Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama
Author(s) -
J. Evans Jocelyn,
Fernandez Bruna
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
social science quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.482
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1540-6237
pISSN - 0038-4941
DOI - 10.1111/ssqu.12981
Subject(s) - typology , meaning (existential) , sociology , economic justice , state (computer science) , space (punctuation) , national monument , law , criminology , history , political science , anthropology , archaeology , epistemology , philosophy , linguistics , algorithm , computer science
Objective In this article, we consider the materialization of collective memory in monumental architecture, including Confederate monuments. Method Using Goodman's typology for uncovering social meaning in the built environment, we consider the material, symbolic, and temporal meanings of two memorial spaces, the Alabama Confederate Memorial Monument and the National Peace and Justice Memorial. Results The analysis uncovers competing social meanings in these two memorials. Attention to the denoted, expressive, and mediated references of these spaces highlights this competing meaning. Rather than an inclusive history, Montgomery presents a case of competing exclusive histories. Conclusions There are significant implications for historic preservation and interpretive heritage landscapes when private and nonprofit organizations take action in narrating space that is at odds with narrated space supported by state and local governments. Communities include diverse stakeholders. The evolution of urban growth and development in Montgomery, Alabama, provides a valuable case study for understanding change that is both incremental rather than comprehensive and contradictory rather than cohesive.