Event Title
Genealogy in the 21st Century: The Dramatic Potential of Lineage
Location
Panel 26: Kearney 317
Start Date
27-10-2012 3:00 PM
End Date
27-10-2012 4:30 PM
Description
For many years, genealogy as a genuine focus of research was frequently dismissed as the narcissistic pursuit of Mayflower ancestors or royal heritage. Recently, however, genealogy has begun to achieve a greater measure of credibility in academe as well as popular culture. In the aftermath of research opportunities resulting from digital internet accessibility in the 1990s, 21st-century television shows, such as Henry Louis Gates, Jr.’s Finding Your Roots, History Detectives, and especially Who Do You Think You Are? (U.S./Ancestry.com iteration), have both driven and capitalized on a renewed interest in genealogy. This presentation will touch on differing perceptions of genealogists and the motivations for their research in the 19th and 20th centuries, and offer a more expansive examination of perceptions and realities of genealogists and their research in the early 21st century. Incorporating examples from television, popular literature and film-- including (but not limited to) the Harry Potter series, and Star Wars-- the discussion will focus on the growth of genealogy as a hobby and a profession in the first part of the 21st century, closing with an examination of the implications of packaging historical research and celebrity family heritage as dramatic entertainment.
Additional Files
Genealogy in the 21st Century: The Dramatic Potential of Lineage
Panel 26: Kearney 317
For many years, genealogy as a genuine focus of research was frequently dismissed as the narcissistic pursuit of Mayflower ancestors or royal heritage. Recently, however, genealogy has begun to achieve a greater measure of credibility in academe as well as popular culture. In the aftermath of research opportunities resulting from digital internet accessibility in the 1990s, 21st-century television shows, such as Henry Louis Gates, Jr.’s Finding Your Roots, History Detectives, and especially Who Do You Think You Are? (U.S./Ancestry.com iteration), have both driven and capitalized on a renewed interest in genealogy. This presentation will touch on differing perceptions of genealogists and the motivations for their research in the 19th and 20th centuries, and offer a more expansive examination of perceptions and realities of genealogists and their research in the early 21st century. Incorporating examples from television, popular literature and film-- including (but not limited to) the Harry Potter series, and Star Wars-- the discussion will focus on the growth of genealogy as a hobby and a profession in the first part of the 21st century, closing with an examination of the implications of packaging historical research and celebrity family heritage as dramatic entertainment.