| The last half of the twentieth century has witnessed a rebirth in interest among Americans of European extraction in their ethnic heritage. This new identity is much different from that of earlier eras, in that it has not been a limiting label assigned by others. Instead, it is a self-conscious, voluntary association. One important consequence has been a boom in small towns that capitalize economically on this surge in ethnic pride. Lindsborg, Kansas, is one such town. Originally a Swedish Lutheran colony, present-day Lindsborg fashions itself as "Little Sweden, U.S.A." Along Main Street, instead of grocery and hardware stores, one finds Swedish restaurants and import shops. The street itself has been remodeled, with faux-European features adorning the fronts of standard Midwestern Victorian architecture. Ethnic festivals are held periodically, bringing thousands of visitors to the town. Although this reinvention of place is, in part, fueled by economic necessity, commerce is not the only force involved. In this dissertation, I look at ties among place, tourism, and the re-creation of modern ethnic identity in Lindsborg, noting the sometimes uneasy ways in which commerce and identity intersect. Place and ethnic tradition there, rather than being "timeless" and primordial, are social constructions, things constantly invented, reinvented, and manipulated to suit current needs. This examination of one community in depth avoids the simplifications found in broader, programmatic statements on the meanings of ethnicity in current-day America and captures more directly the complexity of values and motivations that underlie ethnic revival. |
