PROPOSAL TYPE
Individual
SEEKING
- Seeking General Feedback and Interest
- Seeking Additional Presenters
RELATED TOPICS
- Archives
- Memory
- Oral History
ABSTRACT
Stories have power. They can influence, they can help, and they can allow people the chance to process events. Sometimes, this can be something small like winning an award at work and sometimes it can be large like processing the aftermath of natural disasters. This is where Public History and public historians can play a role.
DESCRIPTION
Stories have power. They can influence, they can help, and they can allow people the chance to process events. Sometimes, this can be something small like winning an award at work and sometimes it can be large like processing the aftermath of natural disasters.
For example, across the Gulf of Mexico and the wider Caribbean, stories have been told about natural disasters for centuries. So many people across those centuries have encountered these disasters, lived through them, and then had to process what happened after they ended. Sometimes, this processing involves the creation of public memory in the form of archives and memorials. These allow people who lived through the event to remember and process trauma. It also allows people who are interested in learning more to engage with the stories around an event.
Because of the nature of the world in 2024, from the continued growth of social media, issues surrounding intersectionality and inclusion in research, communication, and memory, and the beginning of the noticeable effects of climate change, the memory of natural disasters needs to be reconnected to fully provide individuals, communities, and researchers, a chance to remember and process the trauma of these events. To fully understand what this looks like, the public memory of hurricanes will be examined in the United States and The Dominican Republic and the public memory of the 2010 Haitian Earthquake will be examined to fully show the power of these reconstructed public memory webs.
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: Jeff Hirschy, [email protected]
ALL FEEDBACK AND OFFERS OF ASSISTANCE SHOULD BE SUBMITTED BY JULY 10, 2024. If you have general ideas or feedback to share, please feel free to use the comments feature below.