I am a public, digital, and cultural historian.
My research focuses on the US South and mass culture. My dissertation “Imagining Acadiana: Cajun Identity in Modern Louisiana” tells the story of how a modern Cajun identity developed in 20th century Louisiana. By examining key moments in the development of the region’s cultural identity from the 1920s-1970s, I show how the cultural region of Acadiana emerged through the creation of Cajun culture industries. The work of local community leaders during this period makes clear that Acadiana’s traditional culture did not survive in spite of modernity, but by engaging with the opportunities mass culture presented for power, preservation, and profit.
I am currently the Project Manager at the Midlo Center for New Orleans Studies and the Digital Humanities Consultant for the National Park Service Mellon Humanities Fellowship Program. I previously worked as a Digital History Fellow and Graduate Research Assistant at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media (RRCHNM). I have worked on a range of digital humanities projects and have taught digital humanities courses at several universities.
I sometimes blog about this work.
