{"id":19541,"date":"2016-12-05T13:33:57","date_gmt":"2016-12-05T18:33:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/?p=19541"},"modified":"2017-06-09T08:47:32","modified_gmt":"2017-06-09T12:47:32","slug":"true-south","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/2016\/12\/05\/true-south\/","title":{"rendered":"True South"},"content":{"rendered":"

A transition is taking place in the narratives of Southern plantation museums in the United States. The romanticized \u201cGone With the Wind\u201d kinds of stories are slowly fading away to be replaced, in some instances, with histories about slavery and human hardship.<\/p>\n

While some sites worry that telling unpleasant truths about America\u2019s history could have negative consequences, early research conducted by UMW as part of a national grant favors a different conclusion.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve heard from several plantations that there is the fear that if they start talking about uncomfortable, controversial topics, then people won\u2019t come,\u201d said Stephen Hanna, professor of geography at the University of Mary Washington. \u201cOne thing our research suggests is that people aren\u2019t surprised to hear about slavery and that there could be more discussion about slavery.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Slave <\/a>
Slave cabins at Boone Hall Plantation in South Carolina <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Maiah <\/a>
Maiah Bartlett interivews Maribel Segel at Meadow Farm in Henrico County. <\/div> <\/div>
\"Drayton <\/a>
Drayton Hall in Charleston, SC <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Sarah <\/a>
Sarah Rogers interivews Bill Bangham at Meadow Farm in Henrico County. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Maiah <\/a>
(Left to Right) Maiah Bartlett, Steve Hanna and Sarah Rogers at Meadow Farm in Henrico County. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Maiah <\/a>
Maiah Bartlett interivews a visitor to Meadow Farm in Henrico County. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Appomattox <\/a>
Appomattox Manor in Hopewell, VA <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Christine <\/a>
Christine MacKrell interviews a visitor at Shirley Plantation. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

For the past three years, Hanna and seven UMW students \u2013 four of whom are now alumni \u2013 have been conducting fieldwork at plantation museums in the American South as part of a $445,423 grant from the National Science Foundation. Partnering with faculty and students at five other universities , the UMW team has helped to document 170 tours and conduct 2,500 surveys or interviews of plantation visitors, tour guides and museum staff. The work has taken place at 17 sites in Louisiana, South Carolina and Virginia.<\/p>\n

The team wrapped up its research in October with a final visit to the 19th-century Meadow Farm Museum in Henrico County, Virginia. Over the next year, they will transcribe, code and analyze the qualitative data they collected before publishing the results. For the students involved in the project, titled \u201cTransformation of Racialized American Southern Heritage Landscape<\/a>,\u201d the hands-on research and fieldwork offers a unique opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost people are surprised we\u2019re undergrads working on this project,\u201d said senior Christine MacKrell, a geography and political science major who has been working with Hanna for two years. \u201cWe\u2019re working alongside multiple universities across the nation with highly regarded professors and Ph.D. and grad students. It\u2019s rare for undergrads to get this kind of fieldwork, research and writing experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

While final research results will not be published until next year, Hanna and his students have published or presented preliminary findings in journals and at national and regional conferences. Their full immersion in the research process builds the team\u2019s passion and enthusiasm for what they\u2019ve learned.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a trend toward being more authentic in the stories you\u2019re telling,\u201d said senior Sarah Rogers, a geography and historic preservation major who has been involved with the project for one year. \u201cPeople come to these plantations because they want to learn about history, and it\u2019s the museum\u2019s responsibility to share true, accurate and representative stories and information.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learning about our nation\u2019s history shapes our understanding of what it means to be an American, Hanna said, and helps us deal with the racial issues facing our country today.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to be able to talk about how we remember our past and how it informs our understanding of present issues,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s important that these museums present inclusive stories of our past rather than excluding this painful chapter of American history.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UMW faculty and students study slavery narratives on Southern plantations<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":19542,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"umw_cb_additional_links":[[]],"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_advisory_expires_time":"","_advisory_meta_include":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[59],"class_list":{"0":"post-19541","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-show","8":"tag-geography","9":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTrue South - Great Minds<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/2016\/12\/05\/true-south\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Erika Bush\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/greatminds\\\/2016\\\/12\\\/05\\\/true-south\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/greatminds\\\/2016\\\/12\\\/05\\\/true-south\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Erika Bush\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/greatminds\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cf05e77f0eb1cc4d79b5d18070f58332\"},\"headline\":\"True South\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-12-05T18:33:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-06-09T12:47:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/greatminds\\\/2016\\\/12\\\/05\\\/true-south\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":535,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/greatminds\\\/2016\\\/12\\\/05\\\/true-south\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/greatminds\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/20\\\/2016\\\/12\\\/GeographyHP.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Geography\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Show on Great Minds\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/greatminds\\\/2016\\\/12\\\/05\\\/true-south\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/greatminds\\\/2016\\\/12\\\/05\\\/true-south\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/greatminds\\\/2016\\\/12\\\/05\\\/true-south\\\/\",\"name\":\"True South - 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