Digital History Reflection: Graffiti of the Egyptian Revolution in Cairo

Nala Chehade

doi:10.21061/vtuhr.v8i0.6

Abstract

This digital history reflection is based on Nala Chehade’s “Graffiti of the Egyptian Revolution in Cairo,” which won the Virginia Tech Department of History’s 2018 Undergraduate Digital History prize. Nala’s project is an interactive map which shows readers images of graffiti made during the 2011 revolution in Cairo, accompanied by a description and analysis of the image. Nala’s work on this topic began with an undergraduate research paper that won the Virginia Tech Department of History’s Best Paper Prize in 2017 and appeared in volume seven of the Review. In this reflection Nala talks about her decision to turn this research into a digital history project and the advantages and challenges of this process. You can interact with her project at the following link: https://prezi.com/view/XC0C9pbNRO0ytDi1vVea/.

Highlights

After spending a year writing my first independent research paper on the sociopolitical implications of graffiti created in Cairo during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, I eagerly applied to several conferences to share my results with other historians
The poster style generously lent itself to a display of images that may not have been possible through a panel-style discussion, many individuals at this conference suggested that my work would be most effectively communicated through an interactive online map
An online archive can be widely accessible to the general public, especially those outside of academia, who can engage with cultural productions of the Egyptian Revolution without attending a conference or reading a journal article

Summary

Introduction

After spending a year writing my first independent research paper on the sociopolitical implications of graffiti created in Cairo during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, I eagerly applied to several conferences to share my results with other historians. This digital history reflection is based on Nala Chehade’s “Graffiti of the Egyptian Revolution in Cairo,” which won the Virginia Tech Department of History’s 2018 Undergraduate Digital History prize. Nala’s project is an interactive map which shows readers images of graffiti made during the 2011 revolution in Cairo, accompanied by a description and analysis of the image.

Results

Conclusion