Politics of Public Memory

Martha K. Norkunas is Cultural Affairs Director of the Lowell (MA) Historic Preservation Commission.

"Many people will find the elements of the Monterey experience familiar: a history represented by upper class homes; socially elite governing boards and societies; outdated and non-inclusive interpretive exhibits; the tour guide who is a local history 'gatekeeper;' emphasis on decorative arts and furnishings on a historic house tour; the lack of emphasis on industrial history; the commercial exploitation of adaptively used industrial buildings. The commonality of these problems will indeed make the book useful and an important reference point to what each of us is doing at home." —John A. Herbst, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania"This is a well-written book that provides good, hard, informed analysis of Monterey's historic sites and history-related developments. The sites here are representative of others, and the issues raised apply nationwide. These are important issues, too, concerning as they do the uses of history in contemporary society. The book deserves a wide audience." — Robert Weible, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

• Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction: An Intellectual Journey to the Politics of Culture Ethnography and History: The Monterey Example The Construction of Public History Texts The Literary Landscape and the Industrial Past Nature, History, and Ethnicity Public History, Tourist Landscapes, and the Reconfiguration of Reality: Concluding Thoughts Appendix: Site Descriptions of the Path of History Bibliography Index