Archives and Manuscripts Blog 6, Archives and Trauma

The Atlantic this week published a profile of Eric Lidji, the archivist who has taken on archiving the Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting. He is the archivist for the Ruah Jewish Archives but as the piece points out, has added the Pittsburgh Shooting to his workload. At the time I’m writing this we’re two days from the …

Managing History Blog 5, Intimacies in Public History

In Private History in Public : Exhibition and the Settings of Everyday Life by Tammy Gordon private and public cross reference with high and low sensibility as well as class differenceThe idea of the intimacies that public history displays was interesting to consider in relation to Elfreth’s Alley; with the class dynamics already in place …

Managing History Blog 4, A Spectre Haunting Elfreth’s Alley

Andrew Hurley’s book Beyond Preservation: Using Public History to Revitalize Inner Cities, was somewhat different than what I had predicted it would be like from the title. It’s not that the book doesn’t live up to the title but rather that it bucks the previous use of the word “revitalization” in connection with “inner cities” …

Archives and Manuscripts Blog 5, Midsommar And Ethics in the Archive

Ari Aster’s film Midsommar was released to an abundance of praise for its bold take on folk horror. What was left out of this discussion was how Midsommar exposed the true horror of ethical misconduct among academics. Within the film five graduate students(four in anthropology, one in psychology) travel to one of the group’s hometown …

Managing History Blog 3, Affinity and Difference

Yellis’s work “Fred Wilson, PTSD, and Me: Reflections on the History Wars” both informs about Fred Wilson’s innovative work with museums and places this work in the larger context of “history wars.” This leads to a larger discussion and reflection on what makes Fred Wilson’s work seem so vital compared to traditional exhibitions; and furthermore …

Managing History Blog 2, On Public Memory

The two readings this week both related to ideas and recent controversies surrounding public memory. Of the two, David Glassberg’s essay “Public History and the Study of Memory” was particularly interesting for what it lead me to. When he cited George Lipsitz’s work regarding the negotiation that takes place among people between their viewership of …