[go: up one dir, main page]
More Web Proxy on the site http://driver.im/ Skip to main content
Log in

Historical space as narrative medium: on the configuration of spatial narratives of time at historical sites

  • Published:
GeoJournal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper examines how narratives of history are organized spatially at historical sites and memorial spaces, especially in urban settings and in places invested with a sense of collective memory. Much recent research has focused on landscape, memory, and place and how relationships of political and social power influence the representation of historical events in public spaces. Although the meaning of such sites may be hotly contested for long periods of time, we focus here on narrative theory and the related, but unexplored, issue of how such historical stories are configured on the ground at actual historical sites. We identify a number of narrative strategies which are frequently used to configure historical stories in space. Declamatory strategies using markers presenting a snapshot of an event are common, but sequential and non-sequential linear strategies are also used, as are thematic strategies that cross-cut space and time to present complex historical stories at various spatial scales. Examples are drawn from a range of historical sites in North America, Europe and Israel.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
£29.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (United Kingdom)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alderman, D. (2002). Street names as memorial arenas: The reputational politics of commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr. in a Georgia county. Historical Geography, 30, 99–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alderman, D. (2003). Street names and the scaling of memory: The politics of commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr. within the African-American community. Area, 35, 163–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arlington National Cemetery. (2007). Retrieved November 7, 2007 from http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/index.htm.

  • Azaryahu, M. (1993). From remains to relics: Authentic monuments in the Israeli landscape. History and Memory, 5, 82–103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Azaryahu, M. (1996a). The power of commemorative street names. Environment and Planning D, 14, 311–330.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Azaryahu, M. (1996b). The spontaneous formation of memorial space: The case of Kikar Rabin, Tel Aviv. Area, 28, 501–513.

    Google Scholar 

  • Azaryahu, M. (1997). German reunification and the politics of street names: The case of East Berlin. Political Geography, 16, 479–493.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Azaryahu, M. (1999). McDonald’s or Golani Junction? A case of a contested place in Israel. Professional Geographer, 51, 481–492.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Azaryahu, M., & Kellerman, A. (1999). Symbolic places of national history and revival: A study of Zionist mythical geography. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 24, 109–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ben-Yehuda, N. (1995). The Masada myth: Collective memory and myth making in Israel. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berg, L., & Kearns, R. (1996). Naming as norming: ‘Race’, gender, and the identity politics of naming places in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Environment and Planning D, 14, 99–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berrett, L. (Ed.). (2001). Sacred place: A comprehensive guide to early Latter Day Saint historical sites. Vol. 3, Ohio and Illinois. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berrett, L. (Ed.). (2005). Sacred place: A comprehensive guide to early Latter Day Saint historical sites. Vol. 5, Iowa and Nebraska. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bigler, P. (2005). In honored glory: Arlington national cemetery the final post (4th ed.). St. Petersburg: Vandamere Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, R. (2004). Historic inscriptions on western emigrant trails. California: Independence: Oregon-California Trails Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, A. (2005). A memorial walking tour. Oklahoma City: Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coste, D. (1989). Narrative as communication. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edensor, T. (1997). National identity and the politics of memory: Remembering Bruce and Wallace in symbolic space. Environment and Planning D, 15, 175–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eisner, W. (1996). Graphic storytelling and visual narrative. Tamarac: Poorhouse Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foote, K. (1988). Object as memory: The material foundations of human semiosis. Semiotica, 69, 243–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foote, K. (1990). To remember and forget: Archives, memory, and culture. American Archivist, 53, 378–392.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foote, K. (2003). Shadowed ground: America’s landscapes of violence and tragedy (Rev. ed.). Austin: University of Texas Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foote, K., & Azaryahu, M. (2007). Toward a geography of memory: Geographical dimensions of public memory and commemoration. Journal of Political and Military Sociology, 35, 125–144.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foote, K., Tóth, A., & Árvay, A. (2000). Hungary after 1989: Inscribing a new past on place. Geographical Review, 90, 301–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, N. (1981). Twisted tales; or story, study and symphony. In W. J. T. Mitchell (Ed.), On narrative (pp. 99–116). Chicago: Chicago University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gold, J., & Gold, M. (1995). Imagining Scotland: Tradition, representation and promotion in Scottish tourism since 1750. Aldershot: Scolar Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, Official Visitor Site for Greater Philadelphia. (2005). Walking in Benjamin Franklin’s footsteps. Retrieved 7 November 2007 from: http://www.gophila.com/C/Things_to_Do/211/Itineraries_and_Tours/428/Itineraries/429/I/Walking_in_Benjamin_Franklins_Footsteps/8.html.

  • Hawthorne, F. (1988). Gettysburg: Stories of men and monuments as told by battlefield guides. Gettysburg: Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jahn, M. (2005). Narratology: A guide to the theory of narrative. Cologne: English Department, University of Cologne.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman, P. (2006). Boston women’s heritage trail: A self-guided walk through four centuries of Boston women’s history (3rd ed.). Jamaica Plain: Boston Women’s Heritage Trail.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kermode, F. (1967). The sense of an ending: Studies in the theory of fiction. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lessing, G. (1962 [1766]). Laocoön. An essay on the limits of painting and poetry (Trans.: E. A. McCormick). Indianapolis: The Boss-Merrill Company.

  • Meadows, M. (2003). Pause and effect: The art of interactive narrative. Indianapolis: New Riders.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, C. (2004). Digital storytelling: A creator’s guide to interactive entertainment. Oxford: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. (2002). Gettysburg national military park Pennsylvania. Harpers Ferry: National Park Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. (2004). Women’s rights national historical park New York. Harpers Ferry: National Park Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. (2005). The Mormon pioneer trail across Iowa in 1846: Auto tour route interpretive guide. Salt Lake City: National Park Service, National Trails System Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. (2007). Visitor guide. Oklahoma City: Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Potteiger, M., & Purinton, J. (1998). Landscape narratives: Design practices for telling stories. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rehabilitation Department Unit for the Commemoration of Fallen Soldiers, Ministry of Defense. (2003). Mount Herzl military cemetery visitors’ trail. Tel Aviv: Rehabilitation Department Unit for the Commemoration of Fallen Soldiers, Ministry of Defense, State of Israel.

  • Rehabilitation Department Unit for the Commemoration of Fallen Soldiers, Ministry of Defense and Yad Va’Shem. (2004). The interconnecting trail walk. Tel Aviv: Rehabilitation Department Unit for the Commemoration of Fallen Soldiers, Ministry of Defense, State of Israel.

  • Ryan, M. (2005). Media and narrative. In D. Herman, M. Jahn, & M. Ryan (Eds.), Routledge encyclopedia of narrative theory (pp. 288–292). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saitta, D., Walker, M., & Reckner, P. (2006). Battlefields of class conflict: Ludlow then and now. Journal of Conflict Archaeology, 1, 197–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scholes, R. (1981). Language, narrative and anti-narrative. In W. J. T. Mitchell (Ed.), On narrative (pp. 200–208). Chicago: Chicago University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Site historique maritime de la Pointe-au-Père, Musée de la mer. (2007). Retrieved November 4, 2007, from http://www.shmp.qc.ca/.

  • Stein, S., & Stein, H. (1993). Buchenwald: A tour of the memorial site. Weimar: Buchenwald Memorial.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stiebel, G. (2000). Masada national park. Jerusalem: Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stump, R. (1988). Toponymic commemoration of national figures: The cases of Kennedy and King. Names, 36, 203–216.

    Google Scholar 

  • Women’s Rights National Historical Park, Seneca Falls, New York. (1997). All men and women are created equal. Ft. Washington: Eastern National Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yad Va’Shem, The Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority. (2007). Visitors guide. Jerusalem: Yad Va’Shem, The Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority.

  • Yeoh, B. (1992). Street names in colonial Singapore. Geographical Review, 82, 313–322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yeoh, B. (1996). Street-naming and nation-building: Toponymic inscriptions of nationhood in Singapore. Area, 28, 298–307.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zerubavel, Y. (1995). Recovered roots: Collective memory and the making of Israeli national tradition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all those who offered useful feedback on this article, including three anonymous reviewers.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maoz Azaryahu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Azaryahu, M., Foote, K.E. Historical space as narrative medium: on the configuration of spatial narratives of time at historical sites. GeoJournal 73, 179–194 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-008-9202-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-008-9202-4

Keywords

Navigation