Remembering Emmett Till: Reflections on Geography, Race, and Memory

Dave Tell University of Kansas

Abstract

ABSTRACT This essay uses the commemoration of Emmett Till in the Mississippi Delta to explore the connections among race, geography, and memory. I provide four examples of how race and memory have conspired to fundamentally alter the geography of the Delta. I suggest that these four examples challenge the historic articulation of memory and site. While site is traditionally figured as a stable ground for commemorative work, I suggest that practices of commemoration can transform sites of memory. I conclude by previewing a collaborative, digital, public humanities initiative called the Emmett Till Memory Project. The project seeks to commemorate Till’s murder even as it alters the meaning and practice of commemoration.

Journal
Advances in the History of Rhetoric
Published
2017-05-04
DOI
10.1080/15362426.2017.1325414
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (2)

  1. Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  2. Advances in the History of Rhetoric

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