Fourth International Conference on Tourism and Leisure Studies

Abstract

The commemoration of cultural heritage through monuments and statues is a facet of the heritage tourism industry that tangibly represents the past for public consumption. However, beyond being sites of commemoration, commemorative spaces are also ideological sites where certain narratives can be privileged over others. Recently, some sites, such as American Civil War memorials, have become highly contested spaces where diverse, divergent social interests have clashed over their continued existence in public places. These conflicts have raised new issues for heritage tourism. Specifically, how are conflicts changing the way that tourists and other heritage stakeholders view such sites of commemoration? And how can these conflicts be mitigated? Simmel’s (1918) essay, The Conflict in Modern Culture, offers a lens to view social conflict and commemoration. Simmel draws a distinction between life, which refers to the diverse lived experiences of different people in society, and forms, which refers to representations of life that convey order and knowledge through the promotion of particular narratives. In this understanding, social conflict is inevitable as commemorations promote static and fragmented narratives of cultural heritage that obstruct or deny alternative perspectives in a world of continuous mobility and change. Yet, to Simmel, such conflict may be beneficial, as it challenges the narrow meanings of existing forms, and strives to better reflect life itself. This study uses Simmel to explore stakeholder conflicts and emergent solutions related to the commemoration of cultural heritage in an iconic destination the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Montana, USA.