Mapping Mahaweli: writing the world from a river

During our last meeting in Fall 2023, I presented my proposal for the final project inspired by the second rapid development project in Sri Lanka. I proposed building a website called “Mapping Mahaweli” with a digital map that archives the historical...

(Un)Mapping the Settler Colonial Forest

In my last post I briefly introduced myself (#PrimaDeAfuera), described the work I do, and highlighted some of the people who help make my time here at MSU possible. In this post, I share more about the project I want to work on for the remainder of the CHI...

News as Cultural Heritage

One of the questions that has challenged me as a CHI fellow is, “What qualifies as cultural heritage?” As a journalism and media scholar, I am often confronted with the tension-filled role journalism fills, a perhaps self-imposed role that is situated...

Developing a CHI Fellowship Project

Last Friday the CHI fellows presented our ideas for what we’ll be working on for the rest of the year. I was torn between two ideas, but eventually settled on one that will be a greater investment in my future dissertation work: a digital archive for digitized...

My Project Vision

When I first applied to be a CHI Fellow, I thought I had a project plan set—however, a new project formed in my mind after our last rapid development challenge. I will be creating a digital cultural heritage mobile website highlighting the archaeological site of Marco...

Angélica De Jesús // CHI Fellow 2023-24

Hi there, I’m Angélica De Jesús; a doctoral student in the MSU Sociology Department and /literal/ mami currently living in Nkwejong (aka Lansing, Michigan). During a recent chat with my abu Eréndira, she asked detailed questions about what I do at MSU. Our...

Exploring the Significance of Community

“Community” has been my buzz word this year. Through experiencing, bonding, and being accepted in new communities, to hearing discussions and artist talks about types of community, I want to start off my process of creating my project by trying to define...

Emily Nisch | CHI Fellow 2023-2024

Hello! I’m Emily Nisch, a second-year archaeology PhD student, focusing on digital archaeology, cultural heritage, and community-based participatory methods. My research looks at the material culture of Native American boarding schools and asks how digitization...