Abstract
My WordPress project, On This Land, offers a more inclusive view of Wayne County’s Indigenous populations, accessible to local historians, educators, students, and Indigenous communities. It centers on a critical reading of History of Wayne County, Ohio by Benjamin Douglass (1878), one of Wayne County’s most influential books on local history. My project demonstrates how this book presents a settler colonialist history of the area’s Indigenous populations that justifies their removal and dehumanization. It uses a dynamic, multi-media approach to provide context on the area’s Indigenous history and why historians like Douglass relied on stereotypes, oversimplifications, and racial essentialism to narrate it.
My essay places On This Land into its historiographical context, arguing that it represents inclusivity within several historical subfields: digital history, public history, local history, and Indigenous history. On This Land exemplifies recent calls by public historians for critical, inclusive local histories. Its inclusivity rests upon active partnerships with tribal librarians, cultural preservationists, and historians as well as the best practices of contemporary Indigenous historiography. The usage of a digital format allows for greater inclusion of multi-layered historical arguments, conflicting timelines, audience interpretation, and transparency in how a historical argument is crafted.
On This Land represents a turn in local history towards greater collaboration and shared authority between Indigenous communities, historical scholars, and non-professional local historians. Following the principles and methods exemplified in this project will lead to greater inclusion of Indigenous communities and an alternative to settler colonialist local historical works in communities beyond Wayne County, Ohio.
Advisor
Katie Holt
Department
History
Recommended Citation
Van Dyke, Glenna, "From the Dim and Shadowy Past to the Computer Screen: Digitally Centering Indigenous Voices in Wayne County, Ohio" (2023). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 10621.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/10621
Disciplines
Digital Humanities | History | Indigenous Studies | Native American Studies | Public History | Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies
Keywords
Local History, Indigenous History, Digital History, WordPress, Ohio, Wayne County, Public History
Publication Date
2023
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
External Link
https://on-this-land.collegeofwooster.net/
© Copyright 2023 Glenna Van Dyke