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<p> Land is not simply a geological formation that exists apart from its interpretations embedded in sociality. Land receives robust meanings by virtue of its place in history, recognizing contemporary resonances. While scholars treat the reading of place as culturally generated, the process through which this occurs needs expansion. In this, ecology, history, and sociology are intimately linked in how past space-based events are brought to present concern. Based on seven years of ethnographic observation and in-depth interviews, I examine how American Civil War enthusiasts treat the battlefields that they visit, describe, and preserve. I point to four ways in which Civil War battlefields become sites for memory-making and interactional domains. First, places are texts to be read for their imparted significance. Second, they allow for imagined histories through exploring blood-soaked land on which soldiers fought and died. Third, through group visits, the meanings of place depend on the existence of community. Finally, to preserve land in the face of competition by other claimants, organizations must “save” the land as touristic venues with institutional support. This analysis embraces Robert Zussman’s (<CitationRef CitationID="CR57">2004</CitationRef>) call to study people in places.</p>

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In Place of History: Preserving Land as Remembrance of War

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月1日

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  • Gary Alan Fine

摘要

Land is not simply a geological formation that exists apart from its interpretations embedded in sociality. Land receives robust meanings by virtue of its place in history, recognizing contemporary resonances. While scholars treat the reading of place as culturally generated, the process through which this occurs needs expansion. In this, ecology, history, and sociology are intimately linked in how past space-based events are brought to present concern. Based on seven years of ethnographic observation and in-depth interviews, I examine how American Civil War enthusiasts treat the battlefields that they visit, describe, and preserve. I point to four ways in which Civil War battlefields become sites for memory-making and interactional domains. First, places are texts to be read for their imparted significance. Second, they allow for imagined histories through exploring blood-soaked land on which soldiers fought and died. Third, through group visits, the meanings of place depend on the existence of community. Finally, to preserve land in the face of competition by other claimants, organizations must “save” the land as touristic venues with institutional support. This analysis embraces Robert Zussman’s (2004) call to study people in places.