Active
humanists such as Susan Hockey, Lisa Spiro, and Adeline Koh voiced their
thoughts on digital history, its genealogy, and its place in the humanities
throughout the last several decades. However, the more I read through their
thoughts, the less clear the definition of digital history became. What was clear in these different conversations is that the common
thread is that digital history is a process. It is the creation and/or presentation of a historical narrative on a
technological platform that serves an
audience both within and outside the “ivy-covered tower.” Digital history has
been and continues to be conducted by academics and non-academics alike, which
ideally constitutes an inclusive framework of content creation and engagement.
Another key conversation is the
theoretical divide: is digital history really all that new? Many argue that
digital history is just another methodology to enhance traditional forms of
academic scholarship. While I agree that digital history is a methodology
rather than an entirely new innovation, I also argue that it is in some ways a
unique one because it allows those with a nonprofessional interest in history to
contribute to our repository of historical understanding. The revolution of the
Digital Age made this possible. What was once historical scholarship that
required citizens to know the ins and outs of card catalogs, academic journals,
and the right people to talk to, is now an open source of not only consumption,
but production of history. It may not be a new field, but it is a methodology that is not only
targeted to, but also utilized by the audience itself.
While this week’s theoretical
framework was useful for engaging in the conversation, examining examples of
digital history projects is the best way to discuss such a framework. Developed
collaboratively by the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, Center
for Media and Learning SUNY Albany, and the American Social History Project, the
“History Matters: The U.S. Survey Course on the Web” includes thousands of
links to primary source documents, cultural institutions, and access to
historians' take on their process and craft.
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| Courtesy of http://historymatters.gmu.edu/ |
In this example, historian Michael O'Malley recorded voice clips where he discussed how he goes about analyzing this particular cartoon, placing it in its context, and making sense of the larger picture. This exercise, one of many, helps to
close the divide with the academy because nonprofessionals gain insight into
how professionals do their work, giving them the platform to pass on their
methodologies and primary sources. Not only does this website provide resources on historical
methods, but it also provides thousands of diverse documents that can be used
to construct a narrative. The combination of history teaching and learning with
a direct link to historians makes this an ideal example of digital history.
