Date of Award
May 2019
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Communication Studies
Committee Member
Jan R Holmevik
Committee Member
Megan Eatman
Committee Member
Mary Barr
Committee Member
Beth Lauritis
Committee Member
Gregory Ulmer
Abstract
This project focuses on the convergence of rhetorical theory, memory studies, and
community-based writing. I use this tripartite to call attention to the politics of
remembering Black history in the South. Specifically, I utilize the historic rural town of
Pendleton, South Carolina as a case study. Pendleton, like many towns and cities in the
American South, has a complicated relationship with its history, which is observable
through the town’s segregated physical spaces, as well as through its historic sites and
markers. Through a methodology I call chora/graphy, I create several associated maps of
Pendleton’s contested spaces, places, and objects, and, along the way, I question the
rhetorical implications of memorialization in the American South, specifically the public
discourse surrounding Pendleton’s historic markers, memorials, and plantation houses.
Arguing against memorials that distance people from public memory, as well as the
socio-political issues that surround Southern histories, my project intervenes in
Pendleton’s problematic discourses via a crowdsourced community writing project
called, Counter-Tour: Remembering Black History in Pendleton, South Carolina. This
project takes form through 360° virtual reality (VR), which utilizes 360° images of the
spaces, places, and objects in Pendleton, along with embedded informative text, video,
and/or photos. As a collaborative endeavor, Counter-Tour draws from historical archives,
as well the oral histories I collected from Black residents in Pendleton as well as the
town’s historical archives. The ultimate purpose of the project is to remember and
circulate Pendleton’s un(der)recognized rich and nuanced Black histories to a network of
publics, including Black and white residents, tourists, and visitors.
Recommended Citation
OBrien, April, "Composing Counter-memories: Using MEmorial and Community Engagement to Disrupt Dominant Narratives" (2019). All Dissertations. 2339.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/2339