Reframing Dixie: Cultural identity and the production of cinematic and public space in the Southern United States.

This article examines how cinematic and public spatial productions in the Southern United States both perpetuate and challenge entrenched narratives of racial trauma associated with the region. It contrasts mainstream Hollywood films, which often reproduce exploitative and revisionist portrayals of the Deep South's history of slavery and racial violence, with innovative media and art installations at The Legacy Sites in Montgomery, Alabama—comprising The Legacy Museum, The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and The Freedom Monument Sculpture Park—that actively engage visitors in confronting suppressed histories through immersive spatial experiences. Drawing on critical theories of identity, space, and historical production, the article highlights how these sites and select independent films foster ongoing negotiations of cultural identity and historical memory, offering alternative, decolonial representations that resist monolithic and commodified depictions of the South. The Legacy Sites exemplify a transformative approach to public memory and spatial production that integrates education, art, and community engagement to reframe the Deep South's complex sociocultural landscape.