Evaluating the Multivocality of an Appalachian Heritage Tourism Destination Using a Settler Colonialism Framework

This in-progress research evaluates the multivocality of Appalachian heritage tourism discourses in Berea, Kentucky using settler colonialism as an analytical framework. Multivocality is a method of heritage management which promotes social justice through the promotion of multi-layered heritage narratives that prioritize minoritized voices. Data is being collected through ethnographic interviews and site visits including promotional materials and interpretive signage. Preliminary analysis reveals three findings so far: the valorization of Daniel Boone, the erasure of Indigenous and Black heritage discourses, and the impact of spatial layout and design on multivocality. The goal of this research is to help practitioners increase their destination's multivocality while strengthening the theoretical connections between settler colonialism and heritage tourism in Appalachia.