JOURNAL ARTICLE

Gibsland, Louisiana's memoryscape of Bonnie and Clyde: Putting the past in the present.

  • Published In: Memory Studies, 2024, v. 17, n. 6. P. 1536 1 of 3

  • Database: Psychology Source 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Holden, William N 3 of 3

Abstract

This article focuses on Gibsland, Louisiana, as a memoryscape—a place where the memory of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow’s deaths is anchored in physical space. It examines the Authentic Bonnie and Clyde Festival, held annually since 1993 at the exact site of their 1934 ambush, which culminates in a detailed re-enactment of the event. The festival and its re-enactment enable visitors to engage emotionally and spatially with the past, providing a form of living history that connects the present to the Public Enemy Era’s end. The article highlights how memoryscapes like Gibsland facilitate relationships between the living and the dead, aid in imagining historical events, and serve as sites for commemorating law enforcement’s role in ending Bonnie and Clyde’s crime wave.

Additional Information

  • Source:Memory Studies. 2024/12, Vol. 17, Issue 6, p1536
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:History
  • Publication Date:2024
  • ISSN:1750-6980
  • DOI:10.1177/17506980231219596
  • Accession Number:180731689
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