Abstract

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, American culture has experienced a renewed interest in pandemic events, including the Spanish Influenza pandemic of 1918-1919. Based on research carried out in cemeteries and monuments in Salt Lake City, Utah, this paper compares commemoration practices relating to the Spanish Influenza pandemic and the simultaneous events of First World War within the city. Such research provides evidence that warfare enjoys a greater presence in places of social memory than does disease, suggesting an inequality in the cultural value placed on different causes of death. This outcome is the result of numerous factors and continues to impact the relationship between memory, disease, and American society today.

Degree

MA

College and Department

Family, Home, and Social Sciences; Anthropology

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2023-06-26

Document Type

Thesis

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd12865

Keywords

World War One, Spanish Influenza, social memory, cemetery, monuments

Language

english

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