(Mis)quoting King: commemorative stewardship and ethos in the controversy over the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

IF 0.5 Q4 COMMUNICATION Argumentation and Advocacy Pub Date : 2019-04-03 DOI:10.1080/10511431.2019.1597592
Sara C. VanderHaagen
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引用次数: 2

Abstract

Abstract Prior to the unveiling of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. in the fall of 2011, controversy swirled about a paraphrased quotation etched on the side of King’s likeness. The paraphrase, which read, “I was a drum major for justice, peace, and righteousness,” was derived from a sermon given by King in 1968. This essay examines the quotation controversy, which first erupted in August 2011, just before the memorial’s scheduled dedication. The debate over this “misquote” seems at first to be about historical accuracy—i.e. whether the paraphrase accurately reflects what King said and who he was. However, I argue that this debate actually reveals more about how elites use the discourse of “commemorative stewardship” to secure the credibility to speak on, make decisions about, and ultimately control interpretations of public memories. Participants’ claims rely on a rhetoric of commemorative stewardship that acknowledges a public obligation, expresses a commitment to a sacred memory, emphasizes the best practices of shared responsibility and accountability, and demonstrates investment in the good of future generations. Tracing the rhetoric of stewardship in the debate shows how critics of the paraphrased inscription were able to achieve their goal of “correcting” the perceived error while deflecting attention from other controversial elements of the memorial.
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(错误)引用金:马丁·路德·金纪念馆争议中的纪念管理和精神
2011年秋天,在华盛顿特区的马丁·路德·金纪念碑揭幕之前,关于马丁·路德·金雕像侧面蚀刻的一段意译语录引发了争议。“我是正义、和平与正义的鼓手”这句话的释义来自马丁·路德·金1968年的一次布道。这篇文章考察了引用争议,该争议首次爆发于2011年8月,就在纪念馆预定的揭幕仪式之前。关于这个“错误引用”的争论一开始似乎是关于历史准确性的。这种解释是否准确地反映了金所说的话以及他是谁。然而,我认为,这场辩论实际上更多地揭示了精英们如何利用“纪念管理”的话语来确保对公众记忆的发言、决策和最终控制解释的可信度。参与者的要求依赖于纪念性管理的修辞,承认公共义务,表达对神圣记忆的承诺,强调共同责任和责任的最佳实践,并表明对子孙后代利益的投资。在辩论中追踪管理的修辞表明,对改写的铭文的批评者如何能够实现“纠正”感知到的错误的目标,同时转移对纪念馆其他有争议元素的注意力。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
0.70
自引率
0.00%
发文量
19
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