| dc.contributor.author | Rau, Jessica Lynn | |
| dc.description.abstract | The Fargo Theatre has been the gem of the Fargo, North Dakota, area for eightytwo years and is at the epicenter of the community's collective history. The theatre has
hosted independent films, musical productions, vaudeville, social and political meetings,
festivals, celebrations, and most importantly, memories of the people of this community,
past and present. It is a physical structure that has evolved into a symbol with diverse
meanings for all who know of its existence. Individual experiences and the symbolic
meanings that make up the collective consciousness of the theatre, and therefore the
community, are the focus of this study.
By representing diverse threads of collective memory far beyond those of mere
entertainment, the Fargo Theatre is a significant and enduring symbol of Fargo's collective
memory and community consciousness. Relying heavily on the theoretical work of the
symbolic anthropologist Victor Turner, this study encapsulates a community spirit by
exploring the life of the theatre through the memory culture of theatre patrons, theatre
employees, and citizens of the Red River Valley. The accumulation of symbols and stories
about the Fargo Theatre provides insight into the memory culture of our region, as well as
focused insight into the Fargo community itself. The theatre is a vital part of the
community consciousness via other realms of experience that are not necessarily divorced
from the entertainment and pleasure aspects of the theatre. Exploring these various realms
reveals unexpected symbolic richness. | en_US |
| dc.publisher | North Dakota State University | en_US |
| dc.rights | NDSU policy 190.6.2 | en_US |
| dc.title | The Historic Fargo Theatre: A Symbol of Collective Memory and Community Consciousness | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-01-27T19:01:27Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-01-27T19:01:27Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2010 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10365/33638 | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Motion picture theaters -- North Dakota -- Fargo. | en_US |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Motion pictures -- Social aspects -- North Dakota -- Fargo. | en_US |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Motion pictures -- Social aspects -- North Dakota -- Fargo. | en_US |
| dc.rights.uri | https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf | en_US |
| ndsu.degree | Master of Science (MS) | en_US |
| ndsu.college | Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences | en_US |
| ndsu.department | Sociology and Anthropology | en_US |
| ndsu.program | Sociology, Anthropology, and Emergency Management | en_US |
| ndsu.advisor | Kloberdanz, Timothy J. | |
