The Adorned Past: The Representations of Teenagers in Teen Chicago Publications

• In Event: Cultural Reflections: Reparative Narratives and Representations in Community Museums, Literature, and Performance

Abstract

Historical museum publications document problematic representations of particular groups. Through the lens of the schematic narrative template, this study investigates the representations of teenagers in the publications on the Teen Chicago Oral History Project. The result suggests that the evolutionary narrative template that situates the chronological order of events constructs a simplified parallel between historical progress and individual experience, assuming that individuals are exempt from hardships with the improvements in social environments. This problematic assumption leads to an over-generalized view of the diverse lived experiences of individual teens and an idealized view that invalidates the struggles experienced by underrepresented groups.

Author

• Shuihan Yi, Northwestern University