Environmental History as a Platform for Public Outreach: Part 1

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Abstract

At some level, most historians aim to connect their scholarship to broader public audiences. Yet it can be challenging to know what strategies work best. Roundtable participants will share examples of their public outreach projects and reflect on what has worked— and what hasn’t.

This roundtable is one of two organized by Finis Dunaway and Jay Turner on this theme. We initially planned to organize one session, but we received so many impressive proposals that we are proposing two sessions – one focusing on place-based public outreach and the other on digital outreach platforms. We hope that the program committee will consider accepting both proposals and, potentially, scheduling them back to back.

Participants in the place-based roundtable will discuss public-facing projects grounded in the histories of particular places in North America, Africa, Europe, and Latin America. Emily Roehl will discuss A Field Guide to Oil in Santa Barbara, a digital map that shares student research on the history of oil in Santa Barbara County, California. Finis Dunaway will introduce the public history website and other outreach related to his book, Defending the Arctic Refuge. Philip Wight will discuss how his research on the electrification of Alaska has informed outreach to state policymakers. Jessica Elfenbein will discuss Wood Basket of the World–a project about forest conservation in South Carolina–to highlight environmental topics that hide in plain sight. Chris Conte will share examples from a digital exhibit that employs historical and repeat photography to document landscape changes in a densely-populated mountain region in Tanzania. Dolly Jørgensen will discuss her experience crafting a museum exhibit and multimedia materials aimed at children based on her research on animal reintroduction in Norway and Sweden. Finally, Bruno Buccalon will discuss the Tijuca Forest Archive, emphasizing how this Brazili-based project promotes the idea of knowledge as a commons.

Sub Unit

• ASEH Annual Conference

Moderator

• Jay Turner, Wellesley College

Presenters

• Finis Dunaway, Trent University

• Emily Roehl, Augustana University

• Phil Wight, University of Alaska, Fairbanks

• Jessica I Elfenbein, University of South Carolina

• Christopher Allan Conte, Utah State University

• Dolly Jørgensen, University of Stavanger

• Bruno Buccalon, Rice University