Braydon Atkins

About Braydon Atkins

Posts by Braydon Atkins:

, , ,
0

Is Digital Media Our Downfall?

Digital Media

Digital Media has been very controversial in history. Digital media is a way public historians can display/animate their research/findings. The information is accessible through technology, so it can be accessible and preserve history.

Digital media

This is a picture showing how the digital media process works/was developed .This image shows how history/information is digitized.Image from SGL Rotec

Problems of Digital Media

Digital media is a good tool to have around, but at the same time, it can cause errors and issues. Digital media can’t always be reliable and be around. Technology crashes and information in a public database can always change. Also, information/Digital media might not be accessible to all so defeats the purpose of digital media. According to the reading by Andrew Hurley, he said “Low rates of computer usage and Internet connectivity among low-income populations and the elderly gave cultural institutions and mass constituency organizations pause about adopting aggressive digital communication strategies.”(Hurley, Andrew, Pg 71)He goes on to say this because even tho Digital media is a useful tool there are flaws in the cracks. Lower-income people might not have the same opportunities as someone higher class, the lower-class research would be limited due to information being online. Also, a lot of people are still trying to become tech savvy so they might not have all the knowledge to navigate the digital media.

Benefits 

Digital Media has allowed information to be accessible to our fingertips. Digital media holds a vault for History. History is added in this format to relate more to people through illustrations/animations and also share history with all ethnic groups and everyone all over the world. Andrew says “The uncensored, open-access realm of cyberspace has been touted as an exemplary venue for democratic civic engagement, making it a tantalizing locus of historical.”(Hurley, Andrew, Pg 71)He is saying that with the expansion of digital media, there is much engagement within the Community and allowing history to spread properly The article goes on to talk about two historians who used Digital media and started the growth of digital media. “Two historians and an architect at the University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL) launched the Virtual City Project (http://vcities.ite-stl.org) in 1999 Speedier microprocessors continued to improve personal computer graphic displays, heightening consumer expectations for visual splendor and realism.”(Hurley, Andrew, Pg73)

Overall useage

Digital media in my opinion is a great tool to help us further learn, preserve history, and become engaged. I feel with anything there are going to be issues but you have to look at the overall good that Digital Media brings. In 2025 almost everything will be virtual and having digital media will help generations to easily learn their history. These public history figures have a way of displaying their findings to the public and being heard. So, Digital media isn’t our downfall it’s building our communities, knowledge, and history.

Credits 

 Hurley,Andrew. “Chasing the frontiers of Digital Technology.”
, , , ,
0

Power Of Politics!

Politics in the community 

Politics plays many roles in the foundation of black history and brings the community together.Politicians/public historians use politics to uncover and spread history.

Public Historian

These are some black historians/activist who are protection on the behalf of two black lawmakers wrongfully losing their job in Tennessee.This is a positive example of how proper activism works .(Washingtonpost.com)

01

Politics role in public history 

The impact politics has on history is always going to be there because history falls back to morals and peoples viewpoints. Public history goes against regular norms.These people research the information that matters that white supremacy  shuts down. According to the article, as “pro-Trump insurgents overtook the United States Capitol Building in an attempt to overturn the results of a presidential election”(Murphy&Owens,pg139) this is politics, but it’s important because the effects of these political actions can cause effects that will last through generations impacting/creating history. The result could be good or bad but public history explores those theories/figures out what happens in history.

02

Engaging in activism 

 Politicians engage in activism just in a more professional setting. All politicians fight for what they believe in; it’s just a different type of fight. Politicians still have a reputation to uphold.The article says “African American park ranger Donel Singleton has suggested that “white organizations need to publicly apologize to African Americans as a form of repara-tions for the ways that historical sites embraced white supremacy in the past.”(Murphy&Owens,pg146) This is politicians getting involved.They Can’t riot and protest, but they use their power and their voice to make a change within the community and the ones who started the problem. If politicians/public historians act out uncivilly, they will most likely lose their authority with many groups of people.To retain information they have to be neutral/recognizable to gain history/information.

 

03

Levels of Political engagement 

In public history there really isn’t a certain amount/level you should Be engaged.You should just actively be persistent in  coming up with new ideas or seeking information.The job of a public historian is never over. Public history is involved in the community/ and their politics.As the public historian you need to consider the political context of what happening so you can relay your message thoroughly and find information more accessible.The article says “The task of the historian in (difficult) situations may be more to create safe spaces for local dialogue about history and for the collection of memories, and to ensure that various voices are heard in those spaces.”(Murphy & Owens,pg141) So, without any engagement with politics you won’t be an effective public historian.

Citation

Murphy, Brian, and Owens, Katie.Public History in the Age of Insurrection, confronting White Rage in Red States.Aug 2022.

.

A picture of Mt. Vernon in in the mid-1800s
, , , ,

Uncover The Story!

Changed History values

History has been changed, in a different way, but it’s because there have been false facts and information, but this isn’t bad. History has been set up like this to give the white man peace of mind.”White people in general appear lost in this story(Martha S.Jones). “Missing information/wrongful depiction adds an extra layer to history. Without it, our Black history, etc, wouldn’t have been recognized and established. You have to make the information white man-approved, but later, people such as public historians are the ones who add to the history and uncover the story to the fullest.

Mount Vernon - the home of George Washington (Source: Wkipedia)
Mount Vernon – the home of George Washington (Source: Wkipedia)

Mount Vernon was a plantation, but now it is a historic place.

A picture of Mt. Vernon in the mid-1800s [Source www.mtvernon.org]
A picture of Mt. Vernon in the mid-1800s [Source www.mtvernon.org]
A photograph of Mt. Vernon in 2024 [Source www.mtvernon.org]
A photograph of Mt. Vernon in 2024 [Source www.mtvernon.org]

Works Cited

Jones, Martha.The American Historical Review. Oxford University.Dec 9, 2009.

 

Words Affect History 

Language can change, move a persons viewpoint on history.In a reading by Casper he mentions Mount Vernon and other stories of enslaved people. The reading was speaking about how Mount Vernon was a plantation, but now, due to the setup, it’s a historical mark. Also, Savanna Williams was brought up, but the stories about her were told in a way that you could feel her pain. Language portrays history in different lights, and that’s why the impact on history is big. If you preserve something as sad/inhuman, you’ll respond and show some type of emotion. This will cause you to continue to think about that situation, and it will stick with you.


1

Man standing in a library stacks next to several books
, , , ,

The Archivists Mission!

Purpose Of Archivist

An archivist is a person/historian who keeps track of historical records and files and allows the public to access these records. In a post by Sam Winn, she said, “We as archivists are individual practitioners called upon to distill the historic record through the inescapable lens of our personal worldviews”(Sam Winn). Archivists are supposed to be trusted individuals who are honest regarding historical records. Some people would change or alter the information, but an archivist’s mission is supposed to relay the truth to different groups of people.

 

An unidentified man standing next to the book stacks [Photograph by Unknown photographer, 2021]
An unidentified man standing next to the book stacks [Photograph by Unknown photographer, 2021]

An Archivists at work

Effects on History

Archivists play an important role in our history. They are the ones who are supposed to gather and keep the information safe and share it with the public. If archivists fail to keep the truth of the history or misplace/overlook a document, it could cause many problems in society. If information is lost or changed history will not be truthful, and you are left wondering again. “Michelle Caswell draws our attention to the phenomenon of “symbolic annihilation‘ in archives, the process by which archivists contribute to the omission or erasure of historically marginalized groups in the archives (Sam Winn).” This is happening right now in the archives. information is being tampered with, and history is not being withheld. Also, archivists have to display/perform history to the public, this means that the history they receive, they have to find a way to reach their audience and share the information in a way that’s going to be heard. ‘If archivists have any hope of contributing to a radically inclusive historical record, we must make a fundamental change (Sam Winn).” Archivists can’t lose sight of the people/society groups, you must have diverse information and be able to relay that to inclusive groups. Archivists are part of history’s foundation. Without archivists, much history would be lost, so their diligence in keeping information, etc, is allowing our history to continue to grow and not get lost over the decades. 

TakeAway

In my opinion having an Archivist is needed for so many reasons. Over the years, when we lacked an Archivist, we had to scrape up the information and really have to uncover the truth, but now that our documents are being kept safe, we can expand our history without any worries. As time goes on, we can still look back fifty years ago and still gather history about out cultural, family etc. I feel if we didn’t have these people to keep our record, all the history we’ve learned so far would’ve been made up or a false narrative because there isn’t any evidence/truth behind anything. The role of an archivist is a big one; without them, we wouldn’t be knowledgeable on many topics. 

Credits

Winn, Sam.”The Hurbis Of Neutrality in Archives.”Apr 24, 2017.

An intricate web of tree roots
, , , ,

Bring back your Roots!

Shared Authority 

&
Connections

What is Shared Authority?

By definition, public authority is when a person has power and acts on behalf of others much like a government agency. Public authority is given to anyone who wants to research further than the minimum. Public authority consists of Outside Research, these are the people who make up public authority. So,” when historians conduct research and produce interpretations that challenge deeply held beliefs about the past, public history is uniquely political (Denise D. Meringlo,pg1).”These Historians would be classified as public history historians and they use their public authority to spread history through diverse groups of people. A public authority isn’t an organization’s persay but it’s just the concept of having people in power willing to do anything it takes to help the public regain their knowledge of historical matters/events.

Back to Post

Impacts & connections

A public authority can play many roles in people’s lives, after reading “Passionate Histories by Benjamin Filene you’re going to have an understanding of the impact and connections public authority has. Public Authority gives people called “Outsiders(Benjamin Filene,pg2)” the power to explore the lost history that has personal importance to a group of people. For example, Museums include a lot of history, but according to the reading “Perhaps the problem isn’t with “them,” the public, but with “us,” the museums(Benjamin Filene, Pg2).”People don’t seem to want to visit these historical places because their history isn’t being displayed, there isn’t relatable history. Public authority allows people to still partake in museums because these Outside researchers are determined to find history that can relate to and benefit people. Public authority impacted groups of people to not give up on their history.”Another way that outsider histories personalize the past is to link stories to the everyday world around us, to place history where we live (Benjamin Filene,pg7). People started to draw connections to history due to their surroundings. Seeing landmarks in community groups brings the community together, and sparks a conversation about their history. Lastly, public authority ties into something called “passionate history.”Professional historians think that personal history stories and relatable history won’t go far in the public eye, but Outside “values of family, place, voice, and time travel butts up against core principles of traditional historians(Benjamin pg,9)”.Traditional historians are losing sight that many people don’t even care to indulge in the past; but the outside researchers who make up public authority are bringing mysteries to an end, growing communities, and getting people back active.

Historical museum

The image shows a Historical museum. You see people gathering in their community space.

My Takeaway

My takeaway on public authority is that it is a good concept that has come along. I love the idea that it allows people to receive information that has been lost or overlooked. From personal experience, I couldn’t even relate to museums because, half the time, those are not the answers I’m seeking, or the information does not relate to me. These Outside researchers are opening new doors to history.

 

Credits

Filene, Benjamin. “Passionate Histories: “Outsider” History-Makers and What They Teach Us.”1-10.

Meringolo, Denise, D. “Radical Roots.”1-3

 

A white U inside a red paint splash
, , , ,

My History is Untold

Public History

Overview-Robert Kelly 

Robert-“PublicHistorrefers to the employment of historians and the historical method outside of academia: in the historical societies government, private corporations, media, and museums, even in private practice” 

The Relevance

Backstory of public history

Public history plays are playing a big role in our society. Like Robert was saying people who practice public history uncover so much more than what a textbook could bring. Doing the hard labor and going forth with a handful of questions ready to learn that’s more of what we need. Were so used to sheltered information. Public history allows us to broaden our knowledge outside what is provided to us. For example, events in time that have been overlooked by these historians who practice public history will uncover the secrets/information people were missing. I feel as if public history is the missing piece in some history we learn because the information isn’t broad, it is just enough to get your feet wet. 

According to Robert Kelly, public history isn’t just “formal schooling” history, it has more to do with the research put in and lies with the history behind the research. Public History and Academic History have always been around, but we tend to focus more on the academic side of history. Robert Kelly says that with academic history there’s only one way to learn and seek your information. Public History is the complete opposite. The historians acquire questions from others and provide them to anyone who wants the information. Robert Kelly says “He or she serves as a consultant, a professional, a member of the staff. “He’s saying that these historians are for the people and are committed to finding their research. Public history wasn’t fully recognized according to Robert Kelly, academic historians get the light, but public historians aren’t widely recognized for their practices. Later in 1975 Robert and his colleagues decided to train small groups and teach them the ways of Public and not academic history. And over time gradually they could expand and branch out to more of the public. Throughout time with these small groups, a lot of planning and work has been put in. They were beginning to start forming private companies to do environmental impact studies. The program is to get students and faculty to do community-centered research “Public History is an experiment with many risks. “There is a big growth in public history before it wasn’t valued, wasn’t understood. Now people can gather and learn about public history, and they can freely partake in the practices themselves. 

Refrences 

Kelly,Robert. “Public History:Its origins,Nature and prospects.”16-28.