Summer readings

The National Park Service, which is a unit of the Department of Interior, has released two new cultural landscape publications that might make good summer reading. They look at the cultural traces or influences left in our landscapes, and how to find these influences.

Asian Reflections on the American Landscape

This publication "highlights the cultural imprint of Asian groups on the built environment of the United States." Includes an introductory essay that summarizes Asian cultural heritage in the U.S., an annotated list of historic properties related to Asian cultural heritage, examples of historic places that interpret aspects of Asian heritage for the public, and a bibliography. Includes properties in Minnesota, Hawaii, Alaska, California, and other areas. From the National Park Service (NPS).

African Reflections on the American Landscape

African Reflections on the American Landscape/ /summarizes highlights of the scholarship presented at the conference, “Places of Cultural Memory:
African Reflections on the American Landscape,” which was held May 9- 12, 2001 in Atlanta, Georgia. It represents a follow-up to the conference because it illustrates ways in which this scholarship can be applied to historic preservation/cultural resources stewardship work.

(h/t) Jim Palmer