Analysis of Sites of Historical Commemoration in Landscapes of Memorialization

本项目研究纪念场所如何在纪念景观中表现。该研究分析了历史遗迹，特别是国家历史遗迹登记处（NRHP）的遗址，作为文化记忆的一部分，为美国如何构建其过去提供了丰富的窗口。了解过去是如何纪念和纪念景观代表是至关重要的实现公众信任和公民参与，因为它提供了一个机会，与美国参与历史，这段历史是如何被代表的，这些代表意味着什么，以及这些如何变化。研究产品包括一个公开的数据库，其中包含NRHP上所有非限制性网站，这些网站表示1513年至1898年之间的相关国家建设事件，历史地图集和可访问的网站。研究生和本科生参与该项目，并接受跨学科研究的培训，该研究将档案方法与基于实地的景观分析相结合。该研究通过对历史地理学，景观研究和相关领域的理论做出贡献来推进地理学术。调查首先建立了一个数据库，其中包括1513年至1898年期间所有代表相关国家建设事件的遗址。 虽然学者们已经撰写了有关具体地点和事件的文章，但没有对整个国家的实践进行分析，也没有通过历史地理将这些地点与美国国家的形成联系起来。虽然该研究采用了区域方法，但该项目是一项国家级调查，并提供了所有50个州的纪念活动数据。将根据与遗址相关的纪念形式以及这些过程在提名材料中的表现方式对遗址进行分析和编码。这项研究不仅将阐明纪念的不同表现方式，还将突出景观在这一过程中的应用。虽然这项研究的重点是美国的历史地理，它的基本概念可以适用于许多地方，确保了结果的普遍性。此外，建议的方法，与微小的修改，提供了一个严格的和强大的方式来分析文化记忆在任何location.This奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准的支持。

This project investigates how sites of commemoration are represented in landscapes of memorialization. The research analyzes historic sites, specifically sites on the National Registrar of Historic Places (NRHP) which, as part of cultural memory, provide a rich window into how the U.S. frames its past. Understanding how the past is commemorated and represented in landscapes of memorialization is crucial to achieving public trust and civic participation as it provides an opportunity to engage with U.S. history, how this history has been represented, what such representations mean, and how these vary. Research products include a publicly available database of all non-restricted sites on the NRHP that denote relevant nation-building events between 1513 and 1898, an historical atlas, and an accessible website. Graduate and undergraduate students are involved in the project and are trained in interdisciplinary research that combines archival methods with field-based landscape analysis. The research advances geographic scholarship by contributing to theory in historical geography, landscape studies, and related fields. The investigation first develops a database of all sites that denote relevant nation-building events between 1513 and 1898. While scholars have written about specific sites and events, there has been no analysis of the practices across the entire country or connecting such sites to the formation of the U.S. nation through its historical geography. Although the study uses a regional approach, the project is a national level investigation and provides data on commemorative practices for all 50 states. Sites will be analyzed and coded according to which forms of memorialization are associated with the site and how those processes are represented in the nomination materials. Not only will the study illuminate the diverse ways that memorialization is represented, it also highlights how the landscape is used in this process. Although this study is focused on the historical geography of the U.S., its underlying conception can be applied to many places, ensuring the generalizability of the results. Moreover, the proposed methodology, with minor modifications, offers a rigorous and robust way of analyzing cultural memory in any locale.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.