Abstract
The article investigates the historical imaginary of The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan, one of the United States' largest and best-attended historical museums. At the core of the site's particular brand of (living) history, I find an idiosyncratic mixture of Henry Ford hagiography, corporate, agricultural and industrial history within a distinctly national(ist) frame. By situating The Henry Ford in the context of World's Fairs and living history museums, I show how display strategies in Dearborn integrate historical and economic rupture—including the transition from Fordism to Post-Fordism itself—into overarching experiences of consumption and historical continuity. The museum's re-staging of North-American history aims to render history tangible through display and re-enactment. These strategies aim to create attractions that are radically presentist, offering visitors experiences that can be remembered in the future, while relegating the production of historical knowledge ever further into the background.
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