Physical Spaces in the Digital Age: Legacies, Narratives, and Memory of Plantation History

In recent years, plantation tourism has become a prominent concern for many researchers, with studies being done on how plantations use these sites and the ways that they incorporate enslavement into their narratives as a historical site. The current research used a textual analysis approach to explore the themes and language that plantations use when discussing enslavement via the analysis of 16 plantations in nine states. There are three themes that are apparent in the plantations analyzed: the visibility of Enslaved history, the promotion or rejection of Lost Cause memory, and the use of plantations as event spaces. While many plantations have made efforts to emphasize Enslaved history and reject the Lost Cause, others have continued to promote the ideals of the Antebellum South. Additionally, the use of plantations as event venues presents complications in the way they utilize their sites and how this use can degrade plantation spaces