During the first few days of class, we have started our entry into the early 1900s, which included events such as the Great Depression, progressive reform, and the evolution of information processing and digital computing. It was interesting to not only look at historical events, but to also tie in the rise of new technologies happening simultaneously during that era, and how that affected the preservation of historical events. I’ve also always found the study of older technologies interesting, as I find that new technologies tend to have similarities and reflect older technology. This can be seen in a comparison between radiophone dances in the 1920s, and the newer trend of silent disco parties in modern times. While there is a difference in why the technology was used in this way – necessity versus a trend – the end result is similar.
The digital project I analyzed was titled “Colored Conventions: Bringing Nineteenth-Century Black Organizing to Digital Life.” This multimedia digital archive was created to compile historical transcriptions, photos, timelines, exhibitions, and literature in one accessible domain, focusing on the Colored Conventions. The Colored Conventions were a series of national political meetings that strategized and pushed for fair education, labor laws, and legal justice for black individuals, and included notable delegates such as writers, organizers, church leaders, entrepreneurs and other African American leadership of the time. The multimedia project serves as a compilation of works from this time, including personal stories and background of the delegates, along with examination of their social networks, newspaper coverage, and petitions.
This digital project contains many items from Mariam Posner’s framework, including multimedia articles, timelines, transcriptions, maps, 3D imaging, and more. These tools were designed to help immerse the scholar in the information and provide a clear understanding and immersion into day to day life during this time period. This multimedia approach helps to highlight all aspects of the conventions and the notable people involved, showing where they ate, slept, and worked, along with giving accounts in their own voices. The digital project was designed to be interactive and logically organized, with information grouped into exhibits, and exhibits further broken into interactive material – such as video, timelines, and text – that make the information more readily accessed. This allows for both the historian and the casual scholar to have easy access to material, regardless of breadth of knowledge.
References
Dauterive, Jessica. (2019, August 27). What is Digital Humanities? Retrieved from https://slides.com/jdauteri/what-is-digital-humanities#/1.
Posner, Miriam. (2019, August 28). How Did They Make That? Retrieved from http://jessicadoeshistory.com/cnd/exhibits/show/fall-2019/dh.
P. Gabrielle Foreman. ‘Colored Conventions: Bringing Nineteenth-Century Black Organizing to Digital Life’ Database, http://coloredconventions.org/
Madeleine,
As you noted in part two of your blog, I believe accessibility is truly key in the importance and effectiveness of these digital projects. Growing up, I remember trying to exclusively learn about history out of a textbook, and it wasn’t always the easiest thing. How do you think that digital projects such as the one you discussed are helping young people learn material in school environments?
Hey Liam,
I’m a supporter of multimedia engagement and digital projects as a way to learn history – I think history can sometimes have a stigma of being dense and inaccessible and offering new ways to engage can really spark interest and understanding in students. Having a more immersive experience with historical information allows for the student to gain a more well rounded understanding of the historical material and offers different perspectives – something that is sometimes lacking in a traditional textbook
Hey Madeline,
I’m curious to know if you had any criticisms of the project in how it was organized. Did you find that the media left you with any empty spaces within the narrative or had you saying, “I wouldn’t have done this here.” If you were working on this project, would you have made any changes to its presentation or incorporated any additional media? I’m curious to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
Hey Nathaniel,
I did find that some of the mapping and additional media in the project looks to be crowdsourced in some aspects – there were some gaps pending additional information and a couple of interactive exhibits labeled as works in progress. I found this more interesting versus viewing it as an interruption to the narrative however, as it showed that community insight and research were continually being incorporated into the project. There were also links that allowed for the public to help with transcribing older media, which is an interesting way to incorporate the public but also opens the project up to user error and I could see that being an issue. Most of the text and articles however are extremely well organized and very searchable, breaking down convention information by year, region, and initiative depending on what you are looking for, along with providing actual minutes from the conventions and additional resources and links, including specific resources for students and educators.
I agree with you in Part 1 when you say that modern technology and trends seems to reflect those of the past. I feels as if the it is becoming more and more common to see that the newest “trends” or whatnot are just revived things of the past.