The Nature and Life of Contested History and Memorials: The Story of Charlottesville

Focused upon understanding how the historical narrative of the Lost Cause has shaped identity and historical perspective in contemporary Charlottesville, this project focuses on memorialization techniques and practices employed after the Civil War by the collective South. This project will show how the events of August 11th and 12th are a continuation of and caused by the Lost Cause narrative established by the post-Civil War South to sustain a supposed moral high-ground. The events are an example of the contested nature of memorials.