COLUMBUS DAY VS. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' DAY IN NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SPACE: COMPETING VISIONS OF AMERICAN HISTORY

Abstract

The author examines the struggle to reimagine the past in the United States, using New York City’s public space as an example where political and public actors employ the memory of Columbus to assert their views on national history. The debate over Columbus’s legacy continues to generate controversy in American society, reflected not only in public discourse but also in the celebration of holidays linked to the country’s development—Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Using an actor-oriented approach, the article details political strategies that draw on historical memory. Discourse analysis is based on city media, legislative texts, and reports. The study finds that New York is developing a model that combines multiple approaches to engaging with the past. Columbus Day is supported by Republicans and civic organizations representing Italian Americans, who reject alternative narratives and advocate for preserving the status quo. Indigenous peoples are also not ready to make concessions and defend the discourse about the victims of genocide. Indigenous Peoples’ Day thus becomes both a symbolic and political means of contesting dominant narratives. State and city representatives choose a pluralistic model and maintain the connection between narratives, but limit the actions of Native Americans to change legislative norms.