Month: June 2019

What is…”Interdisciplinary Public History?”

Dakota Yankee Research, Interdisciplinary Public History, Living History, Meet Laura Ingalls Wilder

In a nutshell, INTERDISCIPLINARY PUBLIC HISTORY is the research and delivery of educational history content utilizing multiple methods of inquiry and presentation.

“Interdisciplinary history” indicates the practice of producing well-researched, thoughtfully-interpreted work in topics of history, investigated via the use of a wide variety of primary and secondary sources in multiple academic disciplines.
The “Public” portion of the phrase refers to offering material to a global audience by public means.

The method of delivery may include but is not limited to: published text (such as books, articles, blog posts, or silly documents such as the Indenture I created for myself as a course assignment while pursuing my Master’s degree); audio recordings (such as podcasts); video exploration (such as documentary films or how-to instruction); living history presentation (where the historian assumes the role of a particular person, real or imagined, from a particular era, place, and event in history); academic lectures (such as conference presentations or classroom instruction); social media postings (such as a Twitter feed, Instagram photo collection, or TikTok video clips); guided or free-form discussions to tackle a topic of public interest with live interaction; and question-and-answer sessions between an audience and one or more experts who have conducted such research (such as a Zoom meeting or a Facebook Live chat).

As new technologies emerge, new methods of history delivery to audiences around the globe will enhance the experience of Public History for both scholars and the interested students/audiences.

Living History and Modern Transportation combine better than you might think. A wandering spirit, relentlessly inquiring mind, some meticulously-reproduced 1890s clothing, and countless museum, archive, and interview adventures over some fifteen month-long (or longer!) research trips, each encompassing anywhere from 11 to 17 states and 5k-9k miles round-trip, are the foundation of some of my best learning and presentation experiences!
This moment of sarsaparilla (not beer!), “Mrs. Wilder” in her workaday gingham, and my late beloved VW Hansel, captured at Prairie Homestead, Badlands National Park, Interior, South Dakota, 2013.
Image copyright 2013 Melanie Stringer/Dakota Yankee Research.

Want to learn more about how to research and present Interdisciplinary Public History? Contact Melanie today!

Tell me your project ideas, and we can work out a research plan and method of delivery that’s right for you. Not sure where to start? That’s what I’m here for. No project is too big, too small, or too far away.

Optional: Use this portion to indicate your personal pronouns or other key information.
Note: Dakota Yankee Research respects your right to privacy and will not sell or otherwise distribute your name, email address or any other contact information to any third party. Information provided by potential or future clients to Dakota Yankee Research, whether via this form or any other communication method, will be used solely for purposes of transacting business directly with said client.