National Parks As Domicide: Exploring Exclusion from Home in “America’s Best Idea”

America’s ‘National Parks’ are natural landscapes of wild flora and fauna that serve as highly-desired recreational destinations for people from around the world today. However, we tend to be unaware that these protected areas have a forgotten history of domicide, or the deliberate destruction of homes and dwellings. Prior to formal establishment and designation as ‘National Parks’, these beautiful geographic areas were landscapes of home and housing across human time. In this work, I explore the notion of ‘National Parks’ as home and ponder the following three reflective questions: How has the establishment of ‘National Parks’ served as a form of domicide? Are protected areas being protected for all people or from certain people? How are people included and excluded from home in U.S. ‘National Parks’ today?