WEEK I

Is Facebook Public History? Sure it is.

Facebook is almost a historical mode of communication and connection in itself at this point (I had to look up a picture just to draw the logo accurately), but when the textbook mentioned Yu’pik teen sensation Byron Nicholai’s videos, I began thinking about Public History not just as history outside of the classroom, but also history outside of the museum. 

Throughout high school, I held the prestigious role of Cartoonist for my school’s student newspaper. I have drawn my fair share of history themed cartoons, but for the most part, my portfolio contains jokes about the student parking lot, cafeteria “food”, and prom. I never considered my sketches for the newspaper (a classic primary and secondary source) history. Yet, I imagine that looking back through those papers years from now, the sight of those drawings will remind me of certain points in my history, and the history of my high school. 

Drawing cartoons for publication is very similar to practicing public history in designing an exhibit. It is the historian’s job to make history relevant to a non-academic audience, just as my cartoons were drawn to be funny for high schoolers, teachers, and parents alike. Historians must work with stakeholders to create displays ethically conscious of the people to whom they will be presented. As a cartoonist, I was very conscious of stakeholders as I carefully ensured jokes were not made about administration or certain groups of students, but rather situations relatable to a wide range of readers. Other aspects are also shared, but the most similar exercise is that of reflective practice. For a time, I maintained a (now cringey and defunct) blog for my cartoons on which I posted jokes, reactions from my peers, sketches, and so on. At the time, I didn’t think much of what I was doing, but I was developing a crucial skill for the career in public history of which I have always dreamed. 

The discipline of published media in general is quite analogous with public history. Sites like Facebook, and more relevantly, Twitter and Instagram, are essentially public archives of the last decade or so of human life. Though some users take heed of this more than others, it is imperative to think about the same critical ethical questions whether posting something like a cartoon online or putting together an exhibit. The internet is perhaps the ultimate platform for uninhibited dialogic history as barriers such as location and language fade away to allow for the sharing of stories and opinions.

I hope when historians inevitably write on the cultural impact of Xavier High School 2015-2019, they do not become discouraged by cartoons falsely stating that Xavier turfed their gym floor,

but instead recognize them as invaluable tools that captured transient social practices, just like Byron Nicholai’s videos that preserve his peoples’ culture for generations to come.

I am looking forward to drawing more public history themed cartoons and further mapping out my history on this blog.