Beyond 2020: Collecting Time Capsules in a Year of Pandemic

Area of Science:

• Public History
• Digital Humanities
• Community Archiving

Background:

• 2020 presented a confluence of unprecedented global events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest, economic instability, and extreme weather.
• These concurrent crises highlighted the need for new methods to capture and understand contemporary historical experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the formation and evolution of the Beyond 2020: Living History project at the University of Texas at Austin.
• To explore how a public history initiative can respond to a year of significant societal upheaval.
• To examine the project's shift from a structured approach to one that embraces emergent, community-driven narratives.

Main Methods:

• The project involved creating a public platform for community members to share their experiences of 2020.
• It utilized a "living history" approach, emphasizing immediate, participatory documentation.
• The methodology involved relinquishing hierarchical control to foster a more inclusive and responsive historical record.

Main Results:

• The project successfully generated a rich, diverse collection of personal narratives and reflections on the events of 2020.
• The initiative evolved beyond its initial design, demonstrating the value of flexible, community-centered methodologies.
• It fostered a sense of shared experience and collective memory within the university community.

Conclusions:

• Public history projects can effectively engage with contemporary crises by adapting their methodologies.
• A willingness to cede control and embrace emergent narratives can lead to more meaningful and inclusive historical documentation.
• The Beyond 2020 project serves as a model for how academic institutions can respond to and archive periods of intense societal change.