Spring 2019 History Harvest Information
History Harvest: Eastside Foodways
UPDATE: to view the final project, click here or go to http://historyharvest.leadr.msu.edu/s/eastsidefoodways
About the project
History Harvest is a national program that seeks to highlight and share the histories all around us that are often left out of the historical record, to make invisible histories visible. The program connects undergraduate students (primarily those in History and Museum Studies) with community members to share their histories, their family heirlooms, and objects they have that are representative of their histories and cultures.
This semester students in MSU’s History Harvest class are studying Lansing’s historical and diverse Eastside neighborhood.
We are focusing on Eastside Foodways, which means that we are looking at personal and local stories about food culture, production, and consumption. We are asking for stories about how food affects people’s daily lives or family traditions and how food reflects cultural significance.
History Harvest Event
History Harvest is built around events where members of the community are invited to share objects and stories with members of the History Harvest program. They may bring in physical objects, photographs, or a few letters, documents, or newspaper clippings, or nothing at all. Members of the community may also be able to set up appointments for digitization and interviews, depending on the availability of members of the History Harvest program.
The Collection
Images and stories (with permission) will be shared online and curated into digital exhibits by students in the course. The project will not collect any physical items — the items will be photographed and remain in the contributors’ possession.
Privacy of Contributors
Anyone who wishes to contribute a story or an object can request to have their contribution removed from the site at any time. Members of the community may contribute objects and stories anonymously, they may conduct oral histories on audio (with photographs taken at their discretion) or they may request that only a transcript of their stories be made available.