Affect and Environment at American Memory Sites

FAIN: FT-249124-16

Jennifer K. Ladino
University of Idaho (Moscow, ID 83844-9803)

Research for a book on the impact of affect and memory on national memorial sites and their landscapes.

I seek support for Memorials Matter, a scholarly monograph that investigates how landscapes, built structures, and written texts at national memorial sites in the American West contribute to emotions about historical conflict and national identity. Working at the confluence of ecocriticism and affect theory, I ask: What emotions (such as nostalgia, shame, grief, and anger) do particular memorial sites promote? What roles do landscapes and built structures play in shaping public memory of, and emotions about, war and other conflicts? What new (often mixed) emotions emerge when we consider not just the written texts but also the physical environment at a memorial? The book features six memorials across a range of landscapes, a comparative approach that highlights the history of violence faced by multiethnic inhabitants of the West and suggests a better understanding of affect will help gauge how effective memorials are at healing a fractured nation and promoting cultural pluralism.

Media Coverage

Memorials Matter: The Impressions History Leaves Behind (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Rhesa Ledbetter (interviewer)
Publication: Utah Public Radio
Date: 6/26/2016
Abstract: This interview was conducted at the Golden Spike National Historic Site in June of 2016. It describes my book and includes visitor reactions to the reenactment ceremony at the site.
URL: http://upr.org/post/memorials-matter-impressions-history-leaves-behind

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