PROPOSAL TYPE
Traditional Panel
SEEKING
- Seeking General Feedback and Interest
- Seeking Specific Expertise
RELATED TOPICS
- Digital
- Reflections on the Field
ABSTRACT
In this presentation, I will use a digital capstone project as a case study to explore how public historians can use “scrollytelling” (long-form, interactive web publication), in conjunction with robust research and design, to not only communicate but also generate historical scholarship.
DESCRIPTION
For public historians, especially those whose work does not utilize data-driven visualization and computation, it may be challenging to conceive of digital projects that move beyond the communication of analog research into generative digital scholarship. I will use a case study (my graduate capstone project, a long-form piece about the influence of Gone with the Wind on popular memory of the Civil War) to discuss “scrollytelling” as a means through which public historians can blend traditional research and analysis with purposeful design in order to do so.
Scrollytelling integrates dynamic and engaging visuals with the continuous flow of the webpage, and thus offers a particularly affective digital experience for readers. Using scrollytelling strategically alongside qualitative analysis, public historians can create, revitalize, and expand on historical scholarship, using the digital as an intellectual method in its own right.
In terms of feedback, I am looking to be connected to co-panelists whose work might complement or challenge mine thematically, or for suggestions for an alternate format through which to communicate these ideas. I would also appreciate any general feedback or questions that might help me to further hone my presentation. Thank you!
If you have a direct offer of assistance, sensitive criticism, or wish to pass along someone’s contact information confidentially, please get in contact directly: Jubilee Marshall, New York University, [email protected]
ALL FEEDBACK AND OFFERS OF ASSISTANCE SHOULD BE SUBMITTED BY JULY 7, 2022. If you have general ideas or feedback to share, please feel free to use the comments feature below.
I think this is really interesting. I wonder if you might want to connect with the Professional Development Committee, specifically the managers of the Digital Public History Lab. This may be something that you can share in a learning lab format. I will email you directly.
Thank you so much! Responding ASAP!
Hi Jubilee: I don’t think my original comment posted, but I emailed you!
Hi, Jubilee. To echo Denise, this would be a great fit for the digital public history lab. As someone whose attended the labs at past NCPH annual meetings, this is exactly the tool I’d hope to learn about in a lab session. And introduces a digital tool by pulling back the curtain on an actual project is helpful for the audience (or at least for me!).
Richard, thank you for your comment! It’s great to hear that this could prove a fruitful avenue for professional development and discussion. I’ve been in touch with the learning lab folks and am excited for the possibility of collaborating with them!
Hi, Jubilee. To echo Denise, this would be a great fit for the digital public history lab. As someone whose attended the labs at past NCPH annual meetings, this is exactly the tool I’d hope to learn about in a lab session. And introduces a digital tool by pulling back the curtain on an actual project is helpful for the audience (or at least for me!).
Hi Jubilee, I wrote your proposal with great interest. I would love to learn more about the methodology of your research. What exactly will you analyze and how, besides presenting your own project from “behind the scenes” perspective?
Joanna, hello! I am interested in analyzing how this digital tool (or, more accurately, method, since scrollytelling can be achieved through a number of platforms and tools) can help historians think about user experience and design as means of knowledge production in their own right. I think a case study can help clarify both specifically how this method can be executed successfully, but also prompt broader considerations of how the digital space might prove generative for scholars like myself who are interested in digital history work but who aren’t doing complex computing. It’s very much informed by my own entrance into the world of digital history/humanities and feeling a tension between wanting to do robust digital scholarship while also wanting to pursue projects that did not immediately lend themselves to things like social media scraping, distant reading, etc. I hope this is clarifying!