It’s evident that you all have been hard at work, but I just wanted to chime in with a few thoughts. I’ve left some comments on the Google Docs you shared with me, but also have some general comments and instructions to share with you. I don’t think we need to meet tomorrow, since your time would probably be better spent continuing to work on the project, but if you need to meet with me sometime this week to clarify my comments or get more feedback, let me know. We can also continue to exchange ideas on the Google Docs or on this blog.

So, here are my general thoughts after reading your Google Docs:

1. I wonder if your viewers might potentially be confused by the fact that three of your sections cover distinct chronological periods, while one is more thematic. This structure, I think, has even led to some indecision among the four of you about where things should go, since his Irishness comes up at different periods. The other potential problem with this structure is that some periods get shortchanged–especially the most recent past–or get stamped only as “Irish” moments, even when there was more going on. The Civil Rights era period also seems briefer and less chronologically specific than Jaclyn’s and Jocelyn’s section, which means that the bulk of the twentieth century is left somewhat floating between Kat’s and Ryan’s. I wonder if you’ve considered the possibility of streamlining things by having each section be devoted to a time period, and then allowing yourself the leeway within each chronological section to talk about the different groups and memories and how they played out at that moment. That would also allow you to ensure that every part of the last 150 years is at least roughly accounted for in your exhibit, even though you obviously have clusters of information more at particular moments than others. What would be the dividing dates for the last two sections if you went this chronological route? Would this chronological-throughout method fit your mission better, or worse?
2. I’m not sure the literal meaning of the word legacy works the way you’re using it in the titles of your sections. I also wonder if other terms that we’ve encountered in our historiographical reading this semester–like “memory” or the “production of …”–would provide you with more interpretive range than “legacy”?
3. Finally, the part of your mission statement that isn’t very prominently reflected in these drafts is the line about showing “how power and context influence the production of history, based on our exposure to Michel Trouillot.” Do these sections and pages indicate where the power was at these various moments? Do they show how that power influenced the production of history? Could you incorporate, as Trouillot does, the ways that race and power intersect in the making of history?

I’m available for talking about any and all of this, and/or can respond to questions and discussion in the comments section.

I noticed that there are quite a few items from the HMRC that you would like to use, as well as some pictures that you are taking or acquiring on your own. To include these items in your exhibit, remember that I’ve posted instructions about uploading these items for inclusion in the “DD” database here. The one change is that you’ll need to upload the files to OWL-Space, instead of moving them into the Dropbox folder. When you log into the OWL-Space page for HIST 246, upload the files into “Uploaded Student Files.” (Ryan and Jaclyn, I have added you as participants to the HIST 246 course; you should receive an email to that effect and then be able to get to the course from within OWL-Space.