Whitewashing Plantations: The Commodification of a Slave-Free Antebellum South
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
1-1-2001
Department
Political Science, International Development, and International Affairs
School
Social Science and Global Studies
Abstract
This article begins with a brief explanation of personal experiences on plantation tours. It follows with an empirical examination of tourist brochures from over tOo plantations and a textual analysis of their data. A frequency count of keywords is created, serving to highlight that "slavery," "slaves" and "slave cabins" occur less often than such expressions as "owners," "landscapes" and "furnishings." Reasons for this imbalance are sought. More specifically, the investigation asks why plantation owners and their operations under-emphasize slavery and what this situation means for the contemporary tourist. In so doing, the inquiry attempts to answer the question as to whether or not such marginalization of slavery is a legitimate concern now and in the future.
Publication Title
Slavery, Contested Heritage, and Thanatourism
First Page
163
Last Page
176
Recommended Citation
Butler, D.
(2001). Whitewashing Plantations: The Commodification of a Slave-Free Antebellum South. Slavery, Contested Heritage, and Thanatourism, 163-176.
Available at: https://aquila.usm.edu/fac_pubs/20295
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