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Knoell Dissertation Complete.pdf (1.02 MB)

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"So You Want To Be A Retronaut?": History and Temporal Tourism

Knoell, Tiffany L.
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3790-7402
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1587590767297251

Abstract Details

2020, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, American Culture Studies.
In "So You Want to Be A Retronaut?": History and Temporal Tourism, I examine how contemporary individuals explore and engage with the past beyond the classroom through nostalgic consumerism, watching historical reality television, visiting historical sites or living history museums, handling historical objects, and, in many cases, participating in living history or historical re-enactment. The phrase “make America great again” taps directly into a belief that our nation has been diverted from a singular history that was better, purer, or even happier. What it ignores, though, is that the past is fraught for millions of Americans because their history – based on generations of inequality – is not to be celebrated, but rather commemorated for those who died, those who survived, and those who made their place in a nation that often didn’t want them. To connect to that complicated history, many of us seek to make that history personal and to see a reflection of who we are in the present in the mirror of past. For this project I conducted 54 interviews of subjects gathered from a variety of historically significant commemorations and locations such as the 2013 and 2015 memorial observances at Gettysburg, PA, and sites at Mount Vernon, Historic Jamestowne, and Colonial Williamsburg, VA. I also attended re-enactments at Gettysburg, PA, Conneaut, OH, Huntington Beach, CA, Grand Rapids, OH, and Zoar, OH to observe and interview subjects. From the interviews, four levels of engagement emerged: level 0.5, or nostalgics; level one, or day trippers; level two, or retronauts; and level three, or dual citizens. For each of these groups, the past is a destination that calls to them and they are ready to travel, whatever form that travel might take.
Jeremy Wallach, Ph.D (Advisor)
Esther Clinton, Ph.D (Committee Member)
Thomas Edge, Ph.D (Committee Member)
Kenneth Borland, Ph.D (Other)
182 p.
American History; American Studies; History; Mass Media; Museum Studies
Time travel; history; temporal tourism; retronaut; day tripper; nostalgic; living history; reenactment; re-enactment; re-enactor; historical reality television; Victoria Magazine; Victorian Trading Company; historical impression; social reenacting

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Knoell, T. L. (2020). "So You Want To Be A Retronaut?": History and Temporal Tourism [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1587590767297251

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Knoell, Tiffany. "So You Want To Be A Retronaut?": History and Temporal Tourism. 2020. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1587590767297251.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Knoell, Tiffany. ""So You Want To Be A Retronaut?": History and Temporal Tourism." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1587590767297251

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1587590767297251
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This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.