Hidden in Plain Sight: The Politics of Memorialization of Slavery in Charleston, SC

Abstract

The exhibit "Hidden in Plain Sight: The Politics of Memorialization of Slavery in Charleston, S.C.," on the second floor of Newman Library, shines a light on the history of slavery in Charleston. The interactive exhibit, based on research by Laura Zanotti, political science professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, and Zuleka Woods, graduate research assistant for the Center for Refugee, Migrant, and Displacement Studies, examines themes in the memorialization and representations of slavery in Charleston’s public spaces including Southern charm and nostalgia, Southern charm and violence, and enslaved narratives. The sweeping porches, immaculate grounds, and luxurious spaces of historic mansions and plantations in Charleston, South Carolina, are popular backdrops for modern weddings and vacations. But behind this beauty and romanticized history of plantation life hides the fact that Charleston, once the wealthiest city in the 13 American colonies, was built on the profits from trading enslaved people and from the cotton, indigo, and rice enslaved workers produced.