Unique Presentation Identifier:
O19
Program Type
Undergraduate
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Joshua Lynch
Document Type
Presentation
Location
Face-to-face
Start Date
29-4-2025 2:20 PM
Abstract
Plantation museum sites are important in the public's understanding of the complex sociopolitical labor systems that dominated antebellum lifeways. This study examines modern museums' dilemmas when exploring expansive site narratives at plantation museum sites, using Oak Alley and Lakeport Plantations as case studies. Plantation Museum sites construct historical narratives using comparative exhibit analysis, critical discourse analysis of labor narratives, and landscape archaeology. Specific analysis of interpretive language, narrative construction, and site structure demonstrates a stark contrast: while one site marginalizes slavery in its guided tour with non-inclusive language and a self-guided slavery exhibit, the other integrates extensive research on enslaved individuals through interpretive panels and tours. Oak Alley, historically focused on the planter family, has gradually incorporated enslaved narratives but faces visitor resistance.
In contrast, Lakeport's research-driven approach consistently prioritizes enslaved laborers' contributions. Findings indicate that while both sites acknowledge slavery, one site almost entirely excludes enslavement from its guided tour. At the same time, the other fully incorporates current research about slavery at the site throughout the interpretive paneling and guided tour. This gap underscores broader challenges in plantation interpretation, particularly in an era of political resistance to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. This research argues that plantation museums should prioritize descendant-driven storytelling, integrate trauma-informed interpretation, reevaluate ethical site usage, and confront slavery's lasting impact to create research-based historical narratives. As debates over historical memory intensify, these sites are crucial in shaping public understanding of America's past and present.
Recommended Citation
Stockand, Gabrielle M., "Plantation Museums, Public Memory, and Historical Narratives: A Comparative Analysis of Slavery Interpretation at Oak Alley and Lakeport" (2025). ATU Student Research Symposium. 34.
https://orc.library.atu.edu/atu_rs/2025/2025/34
Included in
Archaeological Anthropology Commons, Architectural History and Criticism Commons, Historic Preservation and Conservation Commons, History Commons, Landscape Architecture Commons
Plantation Museums, Public Memory, and Historical Narratives: A Comparative Analysis of Slavery Interpretation at Oak Alley and Lakeport
Face-to-face
Plantation museum sites are important in the public's understanding of the complex sociopolitical labor systems that dominated antebellum lifeways. This study examines modern museums' dilemmas when exploring expansive site narratives at plantation museum sites, using Oak Alley and Lakeport Plantations as case studies. Plantation Museum sites construct historical narratives using comparative exhibit analysis, critical discourse analysis of labor narratives, and landscape archaeology. Specific analysis of interpretive language, narrative construction, and site structure demonstrates a stark contrast: while one site marginalizes slavery in its guided tour with non-inclusive language and a self-guided slavery exhibit, the other integrates extensive research on enslaved individuals through interpretive panels and tours. Oak Alley, historically focused on the planter family, has gradually incorporated enslaved narratives but faces visitor resistance.
In contrast, Lakeport's research-driven approach consistently prioritizes enslaved laborers' contributions. Findings indicate that while both sites acknowledge slavery, one site almost entirely excludes enslavement from its guided tour. At the same time, the other fully incorporates current research about slavery at the site throughout the interpretive paneling and guided tour. This gap underscores broader challenges in plantation interpretation, particularly in an era of political resistance to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. This research argues that plantation museums should prioritize descendant-driven storytelling, integrate trauma-informed interpretation, reevaluate ethical site usage, and confront slavery's lasting impact to create research-based historical narratives. As debates over historical memory intensify, these sites are crucial in shaping public understanding of America's past and present.