Curating place: Texas State Parks and place-based narratives

Keywords: Parks and protected places, place identity, heritage, content analysis
Abstract Type: Poster Abstract

Abstract

Place. Some in the field have argued that it exists at the culmination of individual and collective experiences that have occurred at a location through time (Basso,1996). Others have furthered this definition suggesting that “Places… contain overt and covert social practices that embed in place-making behaviors notions of ideology, power, control, and distribution of social and physical resources." (Stokowski,2002). Influenced by literature on place, heritage studies, and political ecology, my master’s research seeks to identify common place-based narratives presented by Texas State Parks to understand their role in shaping Texas place identity in the 100 years the system has been in operation. Like museums, Texas State Parks are state institutions that share knowledge, shape ideas of identify and heritage, and promote selective visions of Texas to their visitors. In doing so they curate place identity that informs the broader public's collective understanding of place, which contributes to a sense of shared belonging (Briwa & Bergmann, 2020). For my masters work I will be conducting a historical content analysis of Texas State Park publications. By critically examining these place-based narratives and the social context when in which they were created I hope to gain a better understanding of the state's influence in shaping visitor experiences and perceptions of Texas' cultural landscapes (Briwa & Wyckoff 2019). As well, taking an inventory of these narratives can tell us who has traditionally been included in these spaces and potentially who we need to focus on including moving forward into the next century.