Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation
5-2019
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Department
History
Degree Program
History, MA
Committee Chair
Kelland, Lara
Committee Co-Chair (if applicable)
Massoth, Katherine
Committee Member
Massoth, Katherine
Committee Member
Kelderman, Frank
Author's Keywords
ethnic festivals; race relations; assimilation; public history; placemaking; identity
Abstract
The multicultural Heritage Weekends, which began in 1974 in time for the bicentennial, were ethnic festivals in Louisville, Kentucky, and were used by different groups in disparate ways. German Americans and American Latinos used the festivals as placemaking, as they laid claim to the city of Louisville and curated their own interpretation of an American identity. Festival organizers, including city officials, however used the festivals as a way to encourage pluralism, while still promoting hegemony and assimilation. By analyzing newspaper articles and the history of both German Americans and American Latinos in the city, the work of heritage among ethnic groups can be greater understood. However, while also considering the race relations in the city at the time, the Heritage Weekends take on a greater impact in the city as the encouragement of cultural pluralism and the complexities that come along with it arise.
Recommended Citation
McCoy, Sarah Elizabeth, "Curating an American immigrant identity : German and Latin American heritage weekends as placemaking in Louisville, Kentucky, 1974-1980." (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3191.
https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/3191
