Nationally themed miniature tourist attractions are popular destinations in many areas of the world, however there is currently no site in the U.S. exactly analogous to such locations as Madurodam, Mini Israel, or Italia in Miniatura. What the U.S. does have, however, is a history of numerous “American”-themed attractions employing scale models and miniature landscapes that similarly purport to represent an overview of the nation. Developments in travel infrastructure and communications technology, the decentralization of national tourism objectives and strategies, the evolution of tourism and tourist attractions in the nation and changing American cultural mores can all be seen in the miniature American landscapes investigated in this project. Significantly, while research has been conducted on the Miniaturk and Taman Mini Java parks and the ways in which they are constructed by/construct a particular view of national identity in Turkey and Indonesia respectively, no such study has looked at the meaning(s) contained in and conveyed by their American counterparts. And, while much has been written on miniaturization, tourism, and the themed environment, rarely has the interplay between these forms and phenomena been examined, especially as they engage with national identity. The intervention I make with this project is to discuss how the nationally themed miniature tourist attraction performs in an American context and what we can learn about American culture through “close readings” of six of these potent sites: Roadside America (Shartlesville, PA), America Wonderland (Denver, PA), LEGOLANDs California and Florida, America In Miniature (Las Vegas) and Wonders of America (Phoenix). These miniature tourist attractions display evolving expectations of what constitutes an American itinerary to the domestic middle-class tourist and, by extension, evolving notions of what constitutes American cultural citizenship in the post-War era and who are recognized as full participants.
Subject (authority = RUETD)
Topic
American Studies
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Cities and towns--United States
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Tourism--United States
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = RULIB)
ETD
Identifier
ETD_6437
PhysicalDescription
Form (authority = gmd)
electronic resource
InternetMediaType
application/pdf
InternetMediaType
text/xml
Extent
1 online resource (vi, 180 p. : ill.)
Note (type = degree)
Ph.D.
Note (type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references
Note (type = statement of responsibility)
by Samantha Johnston Boardman
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Graduate School - Newark Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = local)
rucore10002600001
Location
PhysicalLocation (authority = marcorg); (displayLabel = Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)
I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.