What a busy week!! This week we have a practical piece from Roy Rosensweig called Digital History. He gives a step by step account of how to create a history website. In the process he discusses many of the issues that affect such sites. The problems are widespread, and include technology, storage, copyright, and other such issues unique to the proliferation of the internet. But Rosensweig fails to outright discuss what is perhaps the largest internet problem, that of authenticity. What distinguishes an article on the Holocaust from an article on Holocaust denial? In print that would be done by the medium in which the article is written. On the internet this is much more difficult to discover. That is the service given by the “gatekeepers” that Rosensweig and other historians so maligns. Perhaps a solution does exist, some sort of compromise between the for-profit companies and the presumably not-for-profit journals that they come from.
Digital History is a few years old, which isn’t usually a problem in the subject of history, but since this book describes the internet time passes much more quickly. In the words of Jeffrey Wasserstrom time on the internet is in “dog years”. Blogging—just beginning at the publication of the book has become an extremely popular form of communication. Jeffrey Wasserstrom describes this on Intersections: History and New Media in an essay called “The Mythology of Blogs: A Top Ten List for the Uninitiated Historians”. He explains various misconceptions about blogs including that they are not necessarily amateurish, nor the sole purview of younger people.
History websites need not be the normal journal articles or even blogs. While Rosensweig provides a template for a “standard” history website, others have done things that are extremely interesting and unique. Lisa Rosner has turned to a technology much like Google’s street view and developed an interesting way of exhibiting history. On her website (burkeandhare.com) one can take a tour of the 19th century city as it appeared to those involved. The problem with this, and all good internet products is that they are quite expensive. The technology required also often need specialized knowledge, and possibly the hiring of a specialist to do the work for you.
The digital turn is not a fad, it is the future, but the work required is specialized and difficult. Blogs such as mine and my classmates are an interesting project, but a simple one considering the possibilities that could be achieved. A historian must also be technologically trained today to function.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
review of the Eugenics Archive
The Eugenics Archive documents the history of the now-discredited scientific theory of eugenics. The archive is hosted by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) through its Dolan DNA Learning Center (DNALC). It has over 2,500 images and several “online exhibits” describing the different reasons behind and impacts of the eugenics movement. Eugenics corrupted true genetic theory; using a narrow interpretation to try and “better” the human race by encourage the “fit” to reproduce and discouraging the “degenerate” from doing the same. It also served to reaffirm white supremacy, by casting Western European whites (Caucasoid) as the most fit, and African (Mongoloid) as degenerate.
By today’s digital standards The Eugenics Archive is simple and low-tech. (The main site has not had significant changes since at least 2004). The images are primarily organized by “topic” although keyword and chronological searches are also available. Each topic has a passage explaining its history. There are also nine in-depth interpretive essays (called virtual exhibits) about eugenics, presented in “flash” format so a few images could be included alongside, these images expand when the mouse hovers over them. The text of these essays explain the social and political climate that helped foster the widespread acceptance of eugenics, and also describes the consequences of this theory—such as immigration “reform” and forced sterilization. These essays are written by scholars, but presented in such a way that those without a background in the subject can grasp the concepts.
Although the essays are well-written, the presentation is problematic. It requires several pages to read the essay, yet only one set of images is used for the entire essay. An opportunity to better integrate images into this text is lost, there are also no links between the essays and the rest of the images or the topics they discuss. The archive seems to have begun to address this lack of interactivity through the introduction of a new blog. This blog has sporadic postings on modern topics that relate to eugenics (such as heredity and the storm surround the 2009 health care debates)—and it does it in such a way as to encourage a “shared authority” between audience and writer, encouraging the visitor to explore the archive and make their own decisions.
The archive itself contains around 2,500 images. However the word “image” is somewhat misleading, as most of the items presented are digital copies of textual documents, although many pictorial images also appear. The archive collects a large variety of documents from archives in the United States and England, discussing mostly the movement in America (all the interpretive essays focus on this aspect), but there is also acknowledgement of how the Nazi’s took the ideas of eugenics and developed the theories of the “master race” from them.
The Eugenics archive is a useful repository of images about this dark period in American life. While it presently suffers from a lack of interactivity, the new blog, if used properly, can help to fix this problem.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Prosthetic Memory
How do we interpret memory that is beyond our own experience?
Landsberg suggests that voluntary memory is nothing more than a prosthetic, a portable, interchangeable, piece of equipment. Unlike involuntary memory which is shaped by personal experience Landsberg attempts to prove that voluntary memory is shaped by society and "implanted" into an individual.
Some of her evidence is quite compelling, however a large portion of it is not true evidence in my opinion. A large section of her book is dedicated to an analysis of science fiction movies. She does NOT analyze their impact on society but ANALYZES the movie an a very "in universe" style. She implies that these fictional movies are somehow a basis for the real design of memory.
In others it appears that she has suspended her "seichel" (street smarts) and thinks that she is being gassed within the Holocaust Memorial Museum. The idea that anyone could think that would occur is just ludicrous, for one thing, the security guard would not have been standing under the vent on his walkie talkie and the cattle car doors would have been closed.
I also disagree with her analysis of putting us in the "moment" of the Holocaust at that museum. One of her examples is the "shoe room" where thousands of shoes from gassed inmates at one particular camp are just piled on the floor. As you walk through that room you do not walk through the shoes but over them, putting you not in the moment, but in the present, looking back. to make sure that "Never Again" will the Holocaust happen. To throw a further wrench in her story I suggest she over-generalizes the impact of the Holocaust, and completely leaves out the battles between minority groups over "Warring Holocausts" (Slavery vs. the Shoah)
This leads me to another point about her book in general. While she seems to lament the idea of a collective memory, she does not specify any of the uses that collective memory can serve (both positive and negative). When she discusses the Holocaust not once does she use the phrase "Never Again" which is the main takeaway from Holocaust memory in America (especially in Novick's book). The same holds true for the rest of the book.
Winter's article also looks at the reflection on "collective memory" but looks specifically at how the state shapes this memory. His examples are much more concrete and understandable than those presented by Landsberg. His observations on how state influence shapes remembrance of the Battle of the Somme is interesting. The idea that memory commemoration must be positive (as the memory itself often isn't) is an interesting concept as a way to combat PTSD and other such situations.
Landsberg suggests that voluntary memory is nothing more than a prosthetic, a portable, interchangeable, piece of equipment. Unlike involuntary memory which is shaped by personal experience Landsberg attempts to prove that voluntary memory is shaped by society and "implanted" into an individual.
Some of her evidence is quite compelling, however a large portion of it is not true evidence in my opinion. A large section of her book is dedicated to an analysis of science fiction movies. She does NOT analyze their impact on society but ANALYZES the movie an a very "in universe" style. She implies that these fictional movies are somehow a basis for the real design of memory.
In others it appears that she has suspended her "seichel" (street smarts) and thinks that she is being gassed within the Holocaust Memorial Museum. The idea that anyone could think that would occur is just ludicrous, for one thing, the security guard would not have been standing under the vent on his walkie talkie and the cattle car doors would have been closed.
I also disagree with her analysis of putting us in the "moment" of the Holocaust at that museum. One of her examples is the "shoe room" where thousands of shoes from gassed inmates at one particular camp are just piled on the floor. As you walk through that room you do not walk through the shoes but over them, putting you not in the moment, but in the present, looking back. to make sure that "Never Again" will the Holocaust happen. To throw a further wrench in her story I suggest she over-generalizes the impact of the Holocaust, and completely leaves out the battles between minority groups over "Warring Holocausts" (Slavery vs. the Shoah)
This leads me to another point about her book in general. While she seems to lament the idea of a collective memory, she does not specify any of the uses that collective memory can serve (both positive and negative). When she discusses the Holocaust not once does she use the phrase "Never Again" which is the main takeaway from Holocaust memory in America (especially in Novick's book). The same holds true for the rest of the book.
Winter's article also looks at the reflection on "collective memory" but looks specifically at how the state shapes this memory. His examples are much more concrete and understandable than those presented by Landsberg. His observations on how state influence shapes remembrance of the Battle of the Somme is interesting. The idea that memory commemoration must be positive (as the memory itself often isn't) is an interesting concept as a way to combat PTSD and other such situations.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
This weeks readings concern various topics, from gentrification to the end of history museums.
The Mirabal reading on gentrification is a fairly standard polemic against the process. Gentrification is the latest form of urban renewal—just with more private investment than in periods past. Basically a neighborhood is targeted because of its proximity to workplaces and becomes “upclassed”. The reason for the inclusion of this article in the Public Historian is that Mirabal achieves her work through an oral history project of the people that are being forced out—mostly Latino. It is heartening to see that San Francisco has begun to push back, to try and manage its development in a way that keeps its existing communities intact, but still allow for some improvement.
The other major article for this week is an interesting study of the losing appeal of history museums. Admissions revenue—never a large part of most museums’ budgets, but still significant—is continuing to fall, as people find other things to do besides visit museums. Carson either does not, or can not, pinpoint the reason for this drop-off to occur, but nationwide statistics show that it is—mostly at older “destination museums”. As people make the “staycation” popular, museums that required travel are often the first to suffer. Those that connect with the person on an individual level are the ones that do the best. One example of a museum that is still booming is the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, dedicated to no special family (nobody famous ever lived there) but to the local community that many Americans arrived through in the late 1800’s- early 1900’s. Other museums that are doing well are ones that connect much with recent history, such as the International Spy Museum and the Newseum in D.C. It should also be noted that these are all private museums (and in the case of the latter two, quite expensive). As I’ve previously learned most people connect with history that is directly related to them, and museums that do that seem to have the best attendance rates are those that can elaborate on these connections—either through family history, or the people involved actually living through the times of parts of the museum.
That being said, his idea to revitalize older museums deserved some true interest. Although I doubt it would ever attract the following that could come close to what he suggests the idea of a television show based around historic sites has much merit. But instead of his ideas of regionality, I would propose one that is thematic, a soap opera, or even a long running children’s show based on the time period that the theme of the museums describes. PBS missed this opportunity several years ago with a show they did called “Liberty’s Kids” (the episodes are available on youtube). They had several elements that would make them successful bringing the kids in with a theme song by Aaron Carter, and also bringing the parents to the show by using Walter Cronkite to voiceover a “sage” Dr. Benjamin Franklin. It covers several areas that are involved in the Revolutionary War, but does not foster enough connection with the sites it discusses to try and forge a connection between the children who watch the show, and the sites that are showcased (too many in this show are fictional). However the weaving of the historical stories of several towns (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and others) could serve as a model for a true program of Carson’s design.
The article “Auctioning the Old West to Help a City in the East” is an interesting tidbit about how city budgets affect what could be a popular museum. The mayor of Harrisburg apparently decided to be a wildcat curator and acquire—without city council permission—over 7 million dollars of artifacts for a museum of the Old West—a period that does prove popular. The problem is that with this 7 million dollars in artifacts was no endowment, and no building. Harrisburg had all this stuff in storage, and had a budget shortfall. The council ordered the objects auctioned off to close the budget shortfall. The response to the auction has shown that if the proper channels were followed, the museum would probably have done well. The popularity of the auctions was high; showing that there is a demand for such a museum. I wonder what would have occurred if this museum had come to fruition, instead of being auctioned off, piece by piece.
The Mirabal reading on gentrification is a fairly standard polemic against the process. Gentrification is the latest form of urban renewal—just with more private investment than in periods past. Basically a neighborhood is targeted because of its proximity to workplaces and becomes “upclassed”. The reason for the inclusion of this article in the Public Historian is that Mirabal achieves her work through an oral history project of the people that are being forced out—mostly Latino. It is heartening to see that San Francisco has begun to push back, to try and manage its development in a way that keeps its existing communities intact, but still allow for some improvement.
The other major article for this week is an interesting study of the losing appeal of history museums. Admissions revenue—never a large part of most museums’ budgets, but still significant—is continuing to fall, as people find other things to do besides visit museums. Carson either does not, or can not, pinpoint the reason for this drop-off to occur, but nationwide statistics show that it is—mostly at older “destination museums”. As people make the “staycation” popular, museums that required travel are often the first to suffer. Those that connect with the person on an individual level are the ones that do the best. One example of a museum that is still booming is the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, dedicated to no special family (nobody famous ever lived there) but to the local community that many Americans arrived through in the late 1800’s- early 1900’s. Other museums that are doing well are ones that connect much with recent history, such as the International Spy Museum and the Newseum in D.C. It should also be noted that these are all private museums (and in the case of the latter two, quite expensive). As I’ve previously learned most people connect with history that is directly related to them, and museums that do that seem to have the best attendance rates are those that can elaborate on these connections—either through family history, or the people involved actually living through the times of parts of the museum.
That being said, his idea to revitalize older museums deserved some true interest. Although I doubt it would ever attract the following that could come close to what he suggests the idea of a television show based around historic sites has much merit. But instead of his ideas of regionality, I would propose one that is thematic, a soap opera, or even a long running children’s show based on the time period that the theme of the museums describes. PBS missed this opportunity several years ago with a show they did called “Liberty’s Kids” (the episodes are available on youtube). They had several elements that would make them successful bringing the kids in with a theme song by Aaron Carter, and also bringing the parents to the show by using Walter Cronkite to voiceover a “sage” Dr. Benjamin Franklin. It covers several areas that are involved in the Revolutionary War, but does not foster enough connection with the sites it discusses to try and forge a connection between the children who watch the show, and the sites that are showcased (too many in this show are fictional). However the weaving of the historical stories of several towns (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and others) could serve as a model for a true program of Carson’s design.
The article “Auctioning the Old West to Help a City in the East” is an interesting tidbit about how city budgets affect what could be a popular museum. The mayor of Harrisburg apparently decided to be a wildcat curator and acquire—without city council permission—over 7 million dollars of artifacts for a museum of the Old West—a period that does prove popular. The problem is that with this 7 million dollars in artifacts was no endowment, and no building. Harrisburg had all this stuff in storage, and had a budget shortfall. The council ordered the objects auctioned off to close the budget shortfall. The response to the auction has shown that if the proper channels were followed, the museum would probably have done well. The popularity of the auctions was high; showing that there is a demand for such a museum. I wonder what would have occurred if this museum had come to fruition, instead of being auctioned off, piece by piece.
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