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Sacramento
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History (Public History)
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Dissertation
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- Creator:
- Smoley, John Knute
- Description:
- This dissertation explores the historic preservation and public memory of America’s Nike air defense missile program. To defend against nuclear attacks delivered by Soviet bombers in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s the United States constructed a massive air defense network, the largest peacetime dispersion of America’s military might into its communities. The 275 Nike sites built in 29 states are one highly representative example of these defenses and constitute the world’s first missile base network, predating not only all other air defense missile networks but also all offensive nuclear missile bases. Despite its tremendous significance, historic preservation and public memory of America’s Nike air defense missile system is extremely limited. The dominance of deterrence, lack of trauma associated with Nike sites, and difficulty fitting air defense into traditional narratives of the Cold War provide a poor foundation for public memory. While the many extant Nike sites vi generally retain their integrity, or ability to communicate their historical significance, numerous pitfalls hamper Nike preservation efforts, even the five Nike sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Considered in the context of a complex, contradictory Cold War, Nike sites are the quintessential Cold War site. Additionally, Nike sites highlight the way public memory and preservation fuel and feed off of each other. Given the current state of historic preservation and public memory of Nike sites, a three-pronged strategy of interpretation, focused preservation, and a series of markers is the best way to commemorate and educate Americans about the importance once assigned to air defense against nuclear weapons: a menace that continues to threaten our world.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- History (Public History)
- Creator:
- Sandul, Paul Jason Prescott
- Description:
- “Harvesting Suburbs” attempts to provide an understanding that agricultural communities in California represent a unique rural suburban type labeled here as “agriburbs.” Such an understanding deepens an appreciation for both the growth and development of California in general at the turn of the twentieth century and the diversity of suburban types across the American landscape. Moreover, by reviewing historical narratives concerning agriburban areas, one can reach a better understanding of the dynamics at play working to divert attention from the suburban side of agriburban areas’ origins. Put differently, “Harvesting Suburbs” seeks to explain what an agriburb is and why historians and others have failed to identify an agriburb. Parallels are hence drawn between the suburban ideal and the California dream to show how they largely mirrored each other. The suburban side of three case study sites (Ontario, Orangevale, and Fair Oaks) is then furnished to specify better what made California’s “agricultural colonies” agriburbs. Finally, early promotional efforts concerning agriburbs reveal how a master historical narrative about each of these communities largely contributes to diverting attention from their suburban origins. Examining a metanarrative also exposes much about the nature of public memory in agriburban communities. It shows the importance and lasting influence of older historical narratives and other public representations of the past on present-day historical narratives and public representations of the past.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- History (Public History)
- Creator:
- Inloes, Tory Dawn Swim
- Description:
- This dissertation explores how California history museums represent the history of children and childhood. This work is inspired by earlier studies in the fields of anthropology, sociology, museum studies, and public history that question and analyze the underrepresentation or misrepresentation of groups, such as women and ethnic minorities, in US museums. How US museums represent children and their history has yet to receive scholarly attention. This dissertation contributes to filling this gap in the literature and bases its conclusions on a state-wide survey of more than 200 California museums, interviews with 110 museum professionals or volunteers, site visits to 40 museums, and in depth field research at 10 museums. I argue that too often the experiences, stories, and contributions of children are overlooked, absent, or marginalized in California history museums. When representations of children’s history do emerge, they often reflect ideals rather than realities, universalize the historical experience of childhood, and, in the process, romanticize the past. This dissertation acknowledges obstacles that get in the way of richer representation and offers potential solutions. During my study it became clear that multiple meanings of children’s history are at work in the California museum community: the history of children, history for children, and history by children. This dissertation examines each in turn and demonstrates how conceptions of children, many with deep historical roots, influence not only museum exhibitions but also programming for children. Central to this dissertation is the study of history by children at the Pasadena Museum of History, which provides middle-school students the opportunity to teach history as docents to younger children. Drawing upon my three years of participant observation at this site and interviews with forty middle-school students, I contend that inviting children to participate, create, and co-produce in museum spaces improves children’s attitudes towards museums, enriches representation, and brings to light perspectives that may otherwise remain marginalized.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Sacramento
- Department:
- History (Public History)