Presentation at the symposium Public History and the Media at European University Institute (Florence), 11 February 2015

1. TeachingPublicHistory
Enrica Salvatori - Laboratorio di Cultura Digitale - Pisa
Public History and the Media - EUI - 11/2/2015

2. Digital History at Infouma
• Since 2010 course of Digital History at the Master Degree course
in Digital Humanities (Informatica Umanistica form here IU) in
Pisa
• At the beginning Students not expert or educated in History (only
one course during Bachelor)
• Students more expert in digital "stuff" (tools, software, scripts...) but
now also in Humanities
• Digital History ≠ Public History but
PH NEED DH A Digital Public History Course

3. • 50% Theory (home made
texts and slides)
• 50% Lab building the
conceptual structure of the
App
• EXTRA but NOT
OPTIONAL free course on
App organised by IU
Degree Course
First year: building an
App (about History)

5. Second year:
Epigraphies
• 50% theory
• aims:
• telling the “story” of an epigraphy (from ancient to
contemporary era) using TEXTS, IMAGES,
AUDIO, VIDEO
• make citizenship aware of their history by “reading
again” this “phantoms” of the town
• 50% Lab in digital video production (external aid)
• municipality’s collaboration requested but
not achieved
• collaboration with schools: not yet activated
but still possible

7. Third and Fourth year:
e-book History of Pisa
• 50% theory
• aims:
• thinking at the ebook as a real
multimedia device;
• reasoning about the best way
to explain and tell history to
people
• 50% Lab in writing, recording
and ebook production (with
external aid)

8. next year:
building a revival
• Revival a witches’ trial during XVII century
in a rural village in Val di Vara (La Spezia)
• looking at primary sources, building the
characters, recording voices, thinking how to
build an event into and out of the web
• interacting with local people by recording
interview
• reasoning about logistic and economic issues
• municipality’s interest and help achieved
• HOW to do it ? I really don’t know yet
maybe with magic!

9. What I’d like but I fear
• Personal experience in a FB group
dedicated to my town’s XX century
history
• collecting and organising experience
and data from and with this group
OR
• promoting a collection of local
fascist buildings, epigraphies,
pictures, mosaics and statues
• conducting (?) the discussion
(argument? fight?)

10. A Balance about
teaching..
• I’m not able to be a FULL digital public historian (nobody is) because
• a Digital Public History Course needs of a technical external aid (if you
don’t want to deal with the same subjects/projects)
• it cannot be focused on a specific period of time (it could be but you have
to sharing content with people nowadays and then the diachronic point
of view is compulsory)
• it needs both of theory and practice: you HAVE work on projects as in a
Renaissance workshop
• then a Teacher is not enough and one Course neither!

11. A Balance about Public..
• Given that IMHO Public History means participation of the people
to the interpretation of history guided by one historian (at least):
• it’s a lot easier sharing historical contents than building a real public
history project
• you need the municipality’s/associations’/ parties’ or local
organizations’ help: this is DIFFICULT and NEEDS an EXTRA
and HEAVVY WORK (not payed in any meaning)
• if you are dealing with risky topics you need also the academic
acceptance and sustain.. (no comment)