Full Description
Chadds Ford, an upscale suburb in southeastern Pennsylvania, devotes a lot of energy to creating a historical identity. Numerous institutions participate in this task, including museums, a land conservancy dedicated to the preservation of its historical landscape, and the Historical Society, which is responsible for an annual community celebration. Larger institutions related to regional tourism and suburban development generate a steady flow of texts about Chadds Ford in the form of glossy travel magazines, pamphlets, brochures, and gallery displays.
Contents
Introduction: Postmodernity as an Ethnographic Dilemma . . . Chadds Ford Souvenirs . . . Some History . . . Chadds Ford as a Site of Postmodernity: Veneers, Vignettes, & the Myth of Tradition . . . Chadds Ford Days: Living History & the Closed Space of Postmodern Consumption . . . An Allegory of Museums: A Comparative Reading of Two Gallery Displays . . . Conclusion: Self-estrangements