UCLA

This dissertation argues that tourism exerted a transformative impact on the American South following the Civil War, functioning as a space of contestation where Southerners of different backgrounds contributed to the development of distinct iterations of the region and various ideas of Southern-ness. It explores how tourism played a pivotal role in modernizing parts of the Southern economy; shaping prevailing ideas of regional heritage, culture, and identity; spurring urbanization and creating unique place-images for Southern cities; effecting the forms and institutions of artistic production in the region; and exacerbating socio-economic disparities at the same time as providing opportunities for marginalized subjects to access and influence the public sphere. Focusing on the Southeastern states of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, this dissertation conducts in-depth research on four case studies from Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville, and St. Augustine. Employing interdisciplinary methodologies from art history, the history of architecture, visual studies, and tourism studies, this dissertation investigates a diverse array of materials - from paintings and photographs to guidebooks, souvenirs, newspapers, travelogues, exhibitions, museums, and built and natural environments.