Bringing History to Life with Hands-on Archival Research

This week’s Faculty in Focus is Michelle Chase, Periclean Faculty Leader and Associate Professor of History from Pace University.

In her course Modern Latin America, Professor Chase partnered with North American Congress in Latin America (NACLA) to provide students with hands-on experience in archival research. Students helped index and digitize photographs from NACLA’s extensive collection, which dates back to the 1960s and is housed at NYU’s Tamiment archive within Bobst library. Working in small groups, students created photo essays and identified, researched, and scanned select images. These student-curated photos were later featured on NACLA’s website, accompanying episodes of their podcast Under the Shadow. 

---

The course offered a historical overview of Latin American nations from 1870 onward, with a focus on the 20th century. Students explored complex issues such as post-colonial struggles with underdevelopment and the influence of U.S. intervention during the Cold War. This historical foundation deepened their understanding of events depicted in the archival photographs.

Students examined U.S. foreign policy’s impact on Latin America and engaged in discussions about migration to the United States. Archival photos, including those capturing refugees displaced by civil wars in Guatemala and Nicaragua during the 1980’s, brought these topics to life. In some cases, students were even able to contact the original photographers via email to gain additional insights into the moments captured in the images. 

The class also visited NACLA’s offices, where they met then-director Heather Gies. This meeting offered students a firsthand look at the operations of a small non-profit working on a limited budget.

Reflecting on the impact of the course, Chase shared, “I realized how important getting outside the classroom can be for student learning. Seeing the passion with which students engaged with the archival materials was truly inspirational. The archives both reinforced and raised new questions about what we had discussed in the classroom.” This inspiring collaboration between Pace University and NACLA enriched student learning by combining academic inquiry with real-world experiences, encouraging new professional pathways and supporting the important work of a community partner.

---