Resistance at Tule Lake: A Conversation with the Filmmaker and iSchool Digital Curators (and Film Viewing)
WHEN: Wednesday, October 30, 2019 (5:30 – 7:30 pm)
WHERE: Mulligan’s Grill @ The UMD Golf Course – Thomas Room
WHO: UMD faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members met for a viewing of the award-winning film, “Resistance at Tule Lake” followed by a discussion with the filmmaker, Konrad Aderer
Working across 5 interdisciplinary teams, 20 students from 4 of the University of Maryland’s iSchool Programs (Undergraduate InfoSci, MLIS – Master of Library and Information Science, MIM – Master of Information Management, and HCIM – Master of Science in Human-Computer Interaction), conducted research for 8 weeks in the lab in September and October. The “Digital Curation Students & Filmmaker” event was the culmination of this effort. Students received prize funds, were recipients of the Computational Archival Science (CAS) Award, and presented their findings at a research poster session at the event.
Richard Marciano (iSchool), Greg Jansen (iSchool), Maya Davis (Maryland State Archives), Konrad Aderer (filmmaker), Chris Haley (Maryland State Archives), Bill Underwood (iSchool) — bringing together organizers from both events.
Quote from Konrad Aderer: Screening Resistance at Tule Lake at the iSchool’s homecoming was a high point in my outreach. Having studied the history of the Tule Lake concentration camp for six years in the process of making my film, I was deeply impressed with the research students presented at the event. They uncovered significant incidents previously unknown, and synthesized data to bring out meaningful themes that light the way to further study. The energy and focus of these students was a real inspiration, and has contributed to the understanding of Japanese American history.”
The lab promotes experiential learning and enrichment. Its goal is to sponsor interdisciplinary projects that explore the integration of archival research data, user-contributed data, and technology to generate new forms of analysis and historical research engagement, particularly in the arenas of social justice, human rights, and cultural heritage.
Finally, the student teams were able to write and submit a joint research paper entitled “Reframing Digital Curation Practices through a Computational Thinking Framework” which was selected for presentation and publication at the 2019 IEEE Big Data Conference in Los Angeles, the week of December 9, 2019. See link to paper: HERE.
The 5 working groups were:
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Posters developed include:
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Resistance at Tule Lake tells the long-suppressed story of incarcerated Japanese Americans who defied the government by refusing to swear unconditional loyalty to the U.S. Though this was an act of protest and family survival, they were branded as “disloyals” by the government and packed into the newly designated Tule Lake Segregation Center. Watch the trailer.
Attendees also learned about findings on police reports from Tule Lake Camp, brought to light by researchers.
Research Poster Session
1. DEVELOPING NAME REGISTRIES:
2. INTEGRATING VITAL RECORDS:
3. DESIGNING CONTROLLED VOCABULARIES:
4. MAPPING EVENTS & PEOPLE:
5. CONNECTING EVENTS & PEOPLE:
PROGRAM BEGINS: iSchool Dean Keith Marzullo welcomes the audience:
Professor Richard Marciano discusses the program, research, and introduces the students and filmmaker, Konrad Aderer:
STUDENT PERSPECTIVES across the iSchool programs:
Mayhah SURI (MIM): “I am grateful to have worked with historical data that tells a piece of American history we cannot forget. Thanks to Professor Marciano for this unforgettable learning opportunity.” |
Debashish PRADHAN (HCIM): “It wasn’t until I saw the movie that I truly realized the impact of connecting archival fragments and digitizing narratives by making use of my design skills.” |
 “Understanding the spatial dynamics and relationships of location and proximity in the Camps can offer unique insights into the nature of oppression and resistance.” |
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| Viewing of Resistance at Tule Lake | |
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| Q&A with the Filmmaker, Konrad Aderer | |
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