Holly Benison
Candidate, M.A. Public History
| Degrees: | B.A (Hons) in History (Bishop's University), Graduate Certificate in Museum Management and Curatorship (Fleming College) |
| Email: | hollybenison@cmail.carleton.ca |
| Website: | Holly Benison's Website |
Current Program (including year of entry): MA Public History (2022)
Supervisors:
Dr. David Dean and Dr. James Opp
Academic Interests:
Canadian Culinary History, Fashion and Textile History, Reenactment and Living History, Using Social Media for Public History, Authenticity, Women’s Work, Heritage Skills, Museums
Select Publications and Current Projects:
“The Uphill Race: Researching Canadian Women in Competitive Cycling.” Ingenium Channel (Blog). Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation. November 1st, 2021.
Teaching Experience:
Rethinking Modern Canadian History (K. Badgley), Fall 2022
Description of Research
My thesis project focuses on women’s work and culinary history in mid-19th-century Canada. Instead of a paper, this research will take the form of a historical cooking show, presented in around a dozen episodes. The research will focus on recreating recipes and techniques from The Female Emigrant’s Guide by Catherine Parr Traill (1854). Influences of globalization, Indigenous foodways and a gendered lens will factor into deepening the research beyond recreating the recipes themselves.
Beyond the content of the research, I will be using various social media platforms to disseminate the show. This is a particularly interesting method and a relatively new way of “doing” history. I was inspired to take on a film medium based on my experiences in museum work as well as my own interest in filmmaking.