Visualising Heritage: a critical discourse analysis of place, race, and nationhood along the Erie Canal

ABSTRACT

The Erie Canal forever changed the American environment, both materially and ideologically. Since 1825, the iconic New York waterway’s primary use has evolved from transportation to recreation. Today, leisure along the Erie Canal celebrates the “Empire State” throughout a Rust Belt still reeling from the racialised environmental injustices of industrial development and decline. This study collectively examines a wide sample of Erie Canal representations along its historic corridor to see their most recurring pattern: the dominant Erie Canal discourse. Through critical discourse analysis, this research qualitatively examines what is most often included and excluded in Erie Canal communication. The findings reveal a nostalgic, imposed gaze underpinned by the powerful ideologies of place, race, and nationhood that sustain inequality. We argue that in order for Erie Canal heritage spaces to initiate a democratisation process, these reproducing discourses of exclusion must be taken seriously.

KEYWORDS:

• Erie Canal
• environmental justice
• museums
• heritage tourism
• critical discourse analysis
• New York

Acknowledgements

We deeply thank the Erie Canal Museum for creating and hosting this research fellowship, as well as the New York Power Authority, the New York State Canal Corporation, and NYPA’s Reimagine the Canals initiative for funding and supporting this project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research is funded by Reimagine the Canals, a 2019 New York State initiative to facilitate the ongoing relevance of their historic canals.