The American historical narrative has traditionally been told from a white/male-centric perspective for generations. Historians have typically favored topics of the 'public realm' such as politics, military, economics, and exploration. Each of these areas have been dominated by white men for the majority of American history. An examination into the private sphere and other identity histories did not flourish until the 1970s as an extension of the many movements that were taking place during that time such as the Feminist Movement, Black Power Movement, and the American Indian Movement.
This was over 50 years after a selective perspective of history was implemented in American schools by the 1916 Social Studies Report published by the Department of Education. This recommendation relegated the study of history in K-12 settings to practical knowledge that helps students contextualize the social problems of the their time. While the idea of dedicating time to train students to positively contribute to their communities, the vagueness of what is considered a social problem and what perspective of history should be taught to contextualize it is problematic. The result is a clean, linear narrative of how America has prospered with certain communities only making entrances when a historical event happens to them, stripping them of their historical autonomy.
This study was inspired by the current debates taking place across the country over what social studies content should and can be taught in classrooms as well as the role of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion groups in educational settings. View the interactive map of types of legislation that have been proposed recently created by the University of Minnesota below.
As a former social studies teacher, the idea of having my content censored in concerning, especially as it is based on the argument that these narratives and policies make white students feel guilty and depressed. The issue of mental health has been surrounding representation in education for years as many studies have concluded that when students do not see people like themselves (race, gender, sexuality) in class content, they experience lower self-esteem, depression, and anxiety in learning. With this being said, restricting what can be taught will not alleviate all students' mental health issues. In order to bring a solution to this issue straight to families, voters, and decision-makers; I have decided to focus on galleries, libraries, archives, and museums. These are the institutions tasked with presenting America's history to the public on a large scale and help influence the topics discussed on the classroom level. By intersecting mental health theories with the professional practices of these institutions, this study hopes to create professional practices for G.L.A.M. institutions that will:
The initial step in their project was conducting a literature review and researching what other experts from across disciplines have found on these subjects. There was a general consensus that there is a discouraging lack of research that examines the intersections of mental health and racism. When searching for materials on mental health reactions to galleries, libraries, archives, and museums; many studies focused on the positive benefits of engaging with these places but did not use race or their collections as variables. By using these sparse resources, some of which laid out how future research should be conducted from a multi-disciplinary perspective, I was able to lay a framework of psychological theory that I can pull from while I interview G.L.A.M. professional about the reality of their jobs and practices.
In addition to interviews, I plan to survey American adults about their experiences and opinions of diversity within the greater American historical narrative as well as other current issues surrounding this topic. This will give me the attitudes that different audiences are coming to G.L.A.M. institutes so I can more accurately accommodate for them.
After this data collection period, I can begin designing new practices to implement in these places to create spaces where a diverse audience to learn, cope, and understand together rather than resist and marginalize certain information. It is expected I will be in contact with G.L.A.M. professionals throughout this process to ensure the design interventions are practical for their work.
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