Museum Studies Commons^™

The Statues Died, But Their Legacies Live: A Discourse Analysis Of The Debate Surrounding Museums And Confederate Monuments, Laila Maria Melhem

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

In the United States, conversations about what should be done with Confederate monuments often invoke museums as a solution to dealing with them after their removal, whether that be through protest or planned action. Using discourse analysis, this study considered public and professional perceptions regarding the role of museums in the debate over Confederate monuments to highlight how the public contributes to the discourse surrounding this controversial topic. This thesis analyzed discourse from the American Alliance of Museums, the New York Times, and the Richmond Times-Dispatch that was published between May 2020 and May 2023 and revealed three dominant themes: …