Disney Theme Parks and America-s National Narratives takes a public history approach to situating the physical spaces of the Disney brand within memory and identity studies.
For over 65 years, Disney-s theme parks have been important locations for the formation and negotiation of the collective memory of the American narrative. Disney-s success as one of America-s most prolific storytellers, its rise as a symbol of America itself, and its creation of theme parks that immerse visitors in three-dimensional versions of certain "American" values and historic myths have both echoed and shaped the way the American people see themselves. Like all versions of the American narrative, Disney-s vision serves to reassure us, affirm our shared values, and unite a diverse group of people under a distinctly American identity-or at least, it did. The book shows how the status Disney obtained led the public to use them both as touchstones of identity and as spaces to influence t
