I am a public, digital, and cultural historian.
My current research explores questions of cultural politics and identity formation in the US South. By examining key moments from the 1920s-1970s, I show how the region of Acadiana emerged through the strategic creation of Cajun culture industries. The work of local community leaders during this period makes clear that traditional Cajun culture has survived not in spite of modernity, but by engaging with the opportunities mass culture presented for power, preservation, and profit. When not working on this book project, I write about other topics, too.
I work as the Program Manager at the Midlo Center for New Orleans Studies at LSU New Orleans where I teach undergraduate and graduate courses in digital and public history. I have also consulted with a range of institutions such as the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, the National Park Foundation, and the New Orleans Jazz Museum. I currently serve as the Managing Editor of the web-based storytelling app New Orleans Historical, a Project Associate for the digital archive Frenchmen Notes, and the lead digital humanities consultant for the Mellon-funded Now & Here program.
