Performing the Past: On Location 2023 Scrapbook

A storymap of "Performing the Past: Black History and Collective Memory in Charleston and the Sea Islands," Summer 2023

About On Location 2023

On Location 2023 explored the theme, "Performing the Past: Black History and Collective Memory in Charleston and the Sea Islands," and was co-led by WashU professors Paige McGinley (Performing Arts and American Culture Studies) and Geoff Ward (African and African-American Studies).

The content and methods of this course sit at the intersection of the instructors' shared interests in Black history in the Americas and practices and sites of collective memory and commemoration, including museums, monuments, live performance, and heritage preservation.

Charleston and the Lowcountry region of coastal South Carolina and Georgia offered an ideal destination for an On Location course committed to exploring these topics. Every aspect of region's past and present--including its contemporary tourist economies--is informed by racialized violence and resistance. How can such traumas be represented? What is at stake in making these pasts visible, and how might different modes of remembrance facilitate our reckoning with the past and the reparative work necessary for a more equitable and just future?

Planning Map

In preparing for On Location 2023 we found it useful to develop a map of potential study trip locations, in part to flesh out some thematic aspects of the trip - that is, how and where we could engage museums, foodways, tourism, theater, and other contexts of the "performance of the past" - and to think this through alongside more practical, logistical considerations like timing, transportation, and the like. The map below illustrates an early aspirational agenda for On Location 2023 that was later refined and improvised as the immersive learning experience drew nearer and unfolded on location.

On the front porch of Benezet House, our residence and base at the historic Penn Center, St. Helena, SC.


Virtual Tour - Timeline

Highlights from the travel course experience

A photographic tour and brief description of many of the places we visited, people we met, and themes we explored On Location in Charleston, SC, the Sea Islands, and Savannah, GA.

Gathering on July 4, 1955 in the segregated African American area of Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina (Source:  South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism )

Photo Albums

Charleston & Vicinity Album

St. Helena & Sea Islands Album

Savannah & Vicinity Album


Our Thanks

On Location 2023 would not have been possible without the support, contributions, and participation of so many people. We especially want to thank Alison Eigel Zade, the Events Assistant in American Culture Studies who supported all aspects of planning and logistics, and the Lynne Cooper Harvey Family, whose support makes On Location possible. We are also profoundly grateful for the contributions of several individuals in the Carolina Lowcountry who engaged with us and enriched our experience. Special thanks to Professor Bernard Powers at the College of Charleston and Nate Hutchinson of Charleston African American Tours for their contributions. Finally, we must thank the incredible group of WashU graduate and undergraduate students - Neha Adari, Jule Aschhoff, Will Bonfiglio, Tyler Burston, Siobhan Davenport, Kyran English, Tobeya Ibitayo, Bela Marcus, Hannah Stevens, Jordan Waller, and Samara Wilson - who participated in and truly enlivened this immersive learning experience!

On the front porch of Benezet House, our residence and base at the historic Penn Center, St. Helena, SC.

Gathering on July 4, 1955 in the segregated African American area of Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina (Source:  South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism )