Identity Construction Among Confederate Civil War Reenactors: A Study of Dress, Stage Props, and Discourse

Abstract

Despite the fact that the U.S. Civil War ended over 135 years ago, the Confederacy still resonates at a symbolic level for many Americans, particularly reenactors who claim they interpret history for public appreciation. This research suggests, however, that there was more than presentation of history occurring among Confederate reenactors. Examining Confederate reenactors from the perspective of Goffman’s (1959) work on construction of identity, elements of their identity, as developed through presentation of self, were actually symbolic manifestations of discomfort with the eroding condition of white hegemony in the United States. Since these expressions of whiteness were embedded within the pageantry of a widely accepted public pastime, Confederate reenactors were essentially able to veil their protestations symbolically and keep them publicly palatable.