Recent Approaches to Cultural History: American Photography, Film, and Music

Abstract

AbstractRecent work in American cultural history reveals a strong interest in the methodologies of other disciplines as well as developing transnational interpretations of American history. This article considers work that examines photography, film, and music. The use of visual and oral sources has long offered scholars alternative ways of viewing the past – both in their research and in the classroom. Today not only are cultural historians placing these sources within their appropriate historical and cultural contexts (with subjects as diverse as Mexican American murals, immigration photography, film noir, and African American music), they are increasingly employing sensory studies, especially in terms of sound, which enable us to approach our research and teaching with new eyes and ears.