Commemorative Audits of Contested Space: The Challenges of Researching and Reforming Place Names at US Military Archives
Topics: Cultural Geography
, Historical Geography
, Military Geography
Keywords: commemorative audit, place naming, archives, military, marine corps, memory
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Monday
Session Start / End Time: 2/28/2022 03:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/28/2022 05:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 51
Authors:
Katrina Stack Finkelstein, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Derek Alderman, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
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Abstract
In recent years, commemorative naming has been discussed and called into question in the military, with particular focus on the US Army, especially those Army bases with commemorative ties to the Confederacy. With the establishment of the Confederate Naming Commission by Congress in 2021, representatives from all branches of the US military and Department of Defense have been tasked with evaluating commemorative practices associated with the Confederacy. Outside of this recent effort, there has not been a complete study of the policies, processes, and trends regarding naming practices in such spaces. In this paper, we focus specifically on place naming patterns with emphasis on US Marine Corps bases. Through this research, which included visiting the Marine Corps archives in Quantico, Virginia, one of us encountered some of the many difficulties that complicate the work of commemorative audits and name reform attempts, suggesting that collecting information on the name geographies of Marine Corps bases is in itself a sometimes contested practice. We encountered limited access to the physical sites and data, inconsistent practices and documentation which contribute to an incomplete audit, conflicts with institutional interest, and resistance to reconsider the legacy of individuals sometimes long commemorated within the landscape.
Commemorative Audits of Contested Space: The Challenges of Researching and Reforming Place Names at US Military Archives
Category
Virtual Paper Abstract
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