Thesis Post #1: Back Into the Fold

So, I've started to write the thesis, just like everyone else. I'm not as prolific as some other people, but we're getting there, I suppose. I've decided to start with the section on the history and culture of the Tonga people, since that is what I am most comfortable with. I will add citations after I finish writing, because if I try to cite as I write, it will slow me down so much that I barely accomplish anything.

I've looked into how to make contact with the BaTonga Community Museum (BCM). There's no way that I can find to make direct contact with them, but I have the name of the curator and site manager, Joshua Chikozho. Unfortunately, I cannot find an email or phone number for him. I did find his Facebook page, however. I felt that might be too informal of a way to reach out. Alternately, I tried to find the email of the author of a monograph about the BCM, Dr. Munyaradzi Mawere. He teaches at Great Zimbabwe University, so I looked for his faculty email on the website. Again, nothing. So, I will attempt to contact the BCM through the national organization, by emailing Dr. Mawere's department for his email, or by messaging Mr. Chikozho on Facebook.

Post #7: The Cold Numbing the Fingers that Type a Thesis

My goal over winter break is to read the sources recommended to me by my secondary advisor, Professor Casey from the Anthropology department. She provided me with a lot of sociological/anthropological sources, some of which couldn't make it into my lit review, but I will start reading them over the break. I will still be volunteering at the Air and Space Museum from Wednesdays through Saturdays, so that leaves the rest of the week to do reading. I plan to count all the articles, and then budget how many to finish each week. I'll be taking notes as I go, so hopefully, by the time Spring semester starts, I'll have a rough outline of talking points for my thesis. This will also help me compile a list of focused questions for my advisors and Dr. Lent.

Post #6: The Evolution of a Project, The Re-birth of a Child

When I first decided on this project idea, I was thinking about identifying European influences in African and Asian museums because I thought it would be interesting to see just how much European museum practices have become the standard around the world. I wanted to add some sort of practical element to it, which I why I added the part about the African and Asian museums decolonizing their practices and incorporating their indigenous cultures. I knew I had to pick a case study institution in order to focus the discussion around specific museum practices. I eventually decided on Zimbabwe as the location for my case study because their museum community is working on decolonization and promotion of indigenous cultures. I picked the BaTonga Community Museum as the case study institution because it embodied the ideals of the Zimbabwean museum decolonization movement. Even though I had my case study and nation picked out, my research question still included the wide umbrella of "African and Asian museums." I realized that it was way too broad, so now, I am only focusing on Zimbabwe.

I will probably still talk about general decolonization applications, but that will likely only happen if I compare Zimbabwean museums to museums in other countries, discuss global museum trends, or propose general courses of action in the conclusion of the thesis. As my my project progresses, I can see it evolving to include more anthropological perspectives, since I would like to dig into why culturally informed museum practices are important, and how the public can be affected by them. Depending on what I learn about various Zimbabwean museums, I may change my case study to a different museum, but as of right now, I am working with my current pick.

Blog Post 3

Research Question: What and how are New York Indigenous groups and institutions doing, as it pertains to preserving and creating a digital presence, when it comes to disseminating their culture?

Research Paragraph: My topic that I want to explore is what are Indigenous groups in New York doing to maintain a digital presence? I really want to look at how smaller and much less budget heavy institutions, keep up in the digital landscape. When I talk about the digital landscape I'm talking about both preservation, conservation, and protection of their cultural objects, alongside how they keep their voices loud and heard on the internet as that is where our society is drifting towards, online. I really want to explore not only the evolution of some of these tactics but also where the trends point to as a next step or where the digital goals are actually leading to. I also want to explore the idea of how these cultures in particular view digital preservation as it has many benefits but a lot of what we view as solutions in the modern museum do not align with their beliefs and they face different challenges than some of our more familiar cultures but also have some similarities that should be highlighted.

Narrowing down a Topic

Hello again,

As I have mentioned before, and as many of you that know me know, that I love the meshing of technology and Museums. Most notably in the preservation and archival field. Yet I'm also finding that the cultural aspect of preservation is a topic that I really want to explore.

I've basically narrowed down my topics to two possible ones.

One possible topic would be one that focuses on how the Museum and Archival field are handling the digitization of dying cultures. This would focus on the interaction that academics and cultural leaders of these remote or indigenous peoples have. How each other interacts and how they come to as a happy medium as to preserving and recordings of their precious knowledge and experiences can be preserved. I am really curious how this topic is being approached and how it occurs regionally as we have an emphasis in the area on native peoples and their cultures and how it does impact the local history.

 Another topic that I was considering was one that looked at how smaller Museums are being dealt with when it came to their plans and means of having a digital presence, but also how they are digitizing if at all any of their often special collections. I know that a lot of academic institutions have placed a lot of funding and resources to open access of collections and I wanted to delve into how the partnership and  private smaller museums tackle or approach this growing field.

If anyone has any preference to either topic please let me know I would certainly liked to hear some opinions on which is more interesting to people and also what are some areas people would like me to cover in each idea.

What I've learned so far

Heavy Metal culture is a lot more expansive than I expected previously. The subculture of Heavy Metal has grown exponentially since its incarnation in the late 1960's. The name "Heavy Metal" and the distinct sound of the music has its origins in the steel and metal working industries in Britain. The development of the scene and the community has also been a rocky and long winded journey in and of itself. There are distinct differences in the European and American metal communities and how they hold festivals and their presentation of Heavy Metal in everyday culture.
What I still need to know is more inner workings in how festivals are held and how that affects the communities and towns around them. I am also looking into correlations on the environments of the cities and towns Heavy Metal originated in. Also putting more research into current scholarship and exhibitions done on the genre and its history.
The research has been a lot of fun to do and I'm having a great time discovering more about the community and music I love so much.

Fig 1. Rob Halford and Ozzy Osbourne, two of the original members of the bands Judas Priest and Black Sabbath. Link to photo origin

A new challenge!

So, my thesis topic has changed and I will be focusing on something new.
My topic will be focusing on the impact of Heavy Metal (the music not actual heavy metals) on Cultural Heritage and Tourism and how museums can be used in the process. I've seen a lot of work on how Cultural Heritage has impacted the Metal subgenre but not much about the other way around. Since it's introduction in the mid 1960's the music and scene has become a cultural phenomenon around the world. Because of this certain sites focused around metal and its history have gained popularity and have become prime tourist spots in different countries. Also to help sustain tourism European open air festivals have been put in areas where there often is little to no tourism, bringing in thousands of people from around the world to one location. Also how Heavy Metal has become known as cultural heritage in different areas. Looking into a museum in Birmingham United Kingdom and a restaurant in Chicago Illinois and how they have turned Heavy Metal into Cultural Heritage.

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