QUESTION 1

The digital media provides researchers with excess amount of information and it is
makes it convenient, because one can access information at a tap of a button. Digital
media provides one with multiple information sources-academic and unacademic
information. Creates chances for evolution of presenting information and doing
research. It can also open sources/information to manipulation by anyone. Such as in
pages like Wikipedia (Wolff, 2016). Provides platforms for propagation of ideas and
increase creation of sources (Wolff, 2016). For instance, the public to be able to trace
their ancestors and give an account of experience of the World War II from a civilian,
this creating their narrative as a primary source, mentioned in (Blenkinsop, 2009).
Digital history expands learning and research communities or audience through
expansion of learning and information platforms (Dorn, 2016).

Other examples include the ability to present artifacts, expand the tools for teaching and
learning (Dorn, 2016:28-29). Digitised books, the use of videos to teach, i.e., historical
movies, and documentaries (Dorn, 2016). Enhances the practices of historical skills,
through engaging with multiple and unlimited sources(digital), one can learn to analyse
multi-perspectives (Dorn, 2016).

i. Most historians shied away from embracing the possibilities of disseminating

historical research via the Internet due to the concern that “online scholarship
will be found by their peers and institutions” (Wolff, 2016: 64). Most believe
that open sources and transparent platforms reduces the value/quality of the
scholarship, and also that it “does not resonate with norms of the profession”
(Wollf, 2016:64). Digital revolution has the power to spread popular historical
narratives. Also, the electronic access to the past will make it problematic to
separate the line between history and memory (Wolff, 2016:71)
ii. Historians decipher information in terms of fact and opinion and the type of
source for which it originates in order to judge the credibility of the source.
They are the producers of historical knowledge and they interpret the past in
order to understand the present. Believe that history and memory are different
things and they assist in understanding the past (Wolff, 2016: 65). The
 general public are consumers of the knowledge and treat history and memory
as similar. The general public spread popular conceptions, and their notions
are hardly ever accompanied by reference to show engagement with material
(Dorn, 2016). They can also view any historical narrative as absolute/truthful
without further analysis. (Wolff, 2016).

QUESTION 2.

i. Popular conceptions refer to new and general ideas that appeal to among the
young. It often depicts the struggle to bring together the historical in service
of a specific worldview (Wolff, 2016). The Wikipedia entry highlights the issue
of prioritisation of memory and thorough academic research and presentation
(Wolff, 2016). Popular conceptions of history as mentioned it is derived from
memory which is mostly shared by the community-oral history. It can tell us
about how certain events are remembered. It is rooted in public domains and
are collected by popular sites that profit from them, such as Wikipedia. It lacks
factual notions, passed from generation to generation. According to Wolff,
(2016), memory/shared knowledge is often treated as absolute and it is
owned. The conceptions of academic historians, are dominated by research
and known to be “governed by professional imperatives” (Blight, (2002) cited
in Wolff, 2016:65-66). Very different from memory because it is governed by
cultural and familial expectations” (Wolff, 2016:65-66).
ii. Had this entry been written by an academic it would have followed academic
rules and structures. Such as follow grammatical, essay structure. The
audience would also be different, because it would be subjected to
professional peer review, instead of public debate that contain baseless
points. The entry would have a stand point but also acknowledging different
points of view and/or opinions and in-text references would be made to back
up the provided claims. The reason for this differentiation is that historians
interpret knowledge of the past and generate what is considered historical
knowledge, and also do critical research, shy away from reliance on memory
(Wolff, 2016). It would reflect thorough research, and the narrative would
 depict deep understanding of the historical analysis instead of surface picture
(Wolff, 2016).
iii. Memory is treated as a sacred set of potentially absolute meanings and
stories, possessed as the heritage or identity of a community memory is often
owned. In terms of politics, knowledge or shared narratives can be preserved
in order to protect certain ideologies of the state of powerful people and it also
reflects the extent of propaganda.

QUESTION 3: Topic 2 Wikipedia.

Elaine Natalie Katz (March 1935-21 February 2017) was a South African academic
historian, researcher and teacher. Prominent in the 1990s a liberal-revisionist as she
researched and published in a range of subdisciplines of history-economic history
(Netshituni, 2018). Was also known as a longest serving member of the Jewish editorial
board (Munroe, 2017). Elaine was known as a world authority on the history of South
African mining industry, early trade unionism, medical history and the history of
Johannesburg (Munroe, 2017).

Biography

Elain Natalie Katz was born in Johannesburg South Africa in March 1935 and died in
February 2017 (Munroe, 2017). Her bright academic career began in one of the well-
known Universities in Africa the University of the Witwatersrand. Elaine was awarded
her M.A in 1974 and her PhD in 1990, after her masterful dissertation. Her dedication
and ambition led to her being known as an “World Authority on the history of the South
African mining industry”. Elaine was an outstanding, challenging and yet encouraging
scholar, lecture and teacher (Netshituni, 2017-18). Elain established her reputation with
her two impressive scholarly works- 1 st the White Workers in the Transvaal - A Trade
Union Aristocracy: A History of White Workers in the Transvaal and the General Strike
of 1913. 2nd the book called the White Death: Silicosis on the Witwatersrand gold mines.

The “White Workers in the Transvaal - A Trade Union Aristocracy…” presented a study
on labour unions in the mines and the strike of 1913. It provided an overview of how,
until recently labour movements provided labour rather than universities, through
employment unions. The establishment of first two unions by Australian men. Then “The
White Death: Silicosis on the Witwatersrand gold mines, 1886-1918” this book focused
on the lives of ordinary working people mostly people who worked in the gold mines of
the Witwatersrand in the 1800s and 1900s and the devastation of the white death
(Silicosis).

Elaine received a number of international awards for reputable work on Johannesburg

and South African gold mines/mining history and contributions on well-known scholarly
works (Munroe, 2017). Her utmost referenced article (published in 1999 in the highly
appraised journal-the Economic History Review) and presentations heightened her
status (Munroe, 2017) and (Netshituni, 2018).

Elaine was appointed as a lecturer and later a senior lecturer at Wits University in the
department of history, economic history and communications studies and she has
worked for the longest of time over 22 year of research experience (Munroe, 2017) &
(Netshituni, 2018). “Elaine was versatile, teacher that taught across history/economic
history, speech, communications and drama” (Munroe, 2017:7).

Elaine at the later stage developed an interest in other studies, such as the Jewish
genealogy.

Selected Publications

 White Workers in the Transvaal - A Trade Union Aristocracy: A History of White
Workers in the Transvaal and the General Strike of 1913. Johannesburg: African
Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand 1976.
 Baines on the Zambezi 1858-1859 (Brenthurst, 1982).
 The White Death: Silicosis on the Witwatersrand gold mines, 1886-1918.
(Witwatersrand press, 1994).
 Outcrop and deep level mining in South Africa before the Anglo Boer war: Re-
examining the Blainey thesis. (The Economic History Review (UK) 1999).
 The role of American technology and African engineers in the Witwatersrand gold
mining industry 1890-1910. (South African Journal of Economic History. Vol 20,
(2), pp 48-82. 01 September 2005).
  Miners by default: Afrikaners and the gold mining industry before union. (South
African Journal of Economic History. Vol 6, (1). pp 61-80. 21 December 2011).

References

Netshituni, K. “Katz Elaine (1935-2017) Biographical History”, November 2017-May

2018.

http://historicalpapers-atom.wits.ac.za/elaine-katz Accessed 17 May 2023.

Munroe, K. “Obituary of Elaine Natalie Katz”. In David Sacks (eds), Jewish Affairs.
(South African Jewish Board of Deputies 2017 ), Vol. 72., No (2), pp.6-7.
Bibliography
Wikipedia:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Freund_(historian)
Accessed: 02 June 2023.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_van_der_Poel
Accessed: 02 June 2023.
QUESTION 2

My entry on Wikipedia would be different if writing for an academic audience, different in

writing style and it would more precise on the topic of research rather than general.
Paying more attention to details, not focusing on popular narratives, instead a more
focus driven with thorough research and citations. And also, presentation of ideas on
accredited publications/websites not to the public platform that is open/susceptible to
manipulation.

Audience influences how one writes of presents his or her material and ideas. In what
ways; style of writing differs when one is writing for an academic audience/peer in an
academic field, it either ingrained in grammar, style of writing for instance, poetic writing
and following a certain structure or eliciting certain type of moods/feelings and or
perspective (Wolff, 2016). The digital world’s influence on the makings of digital
entertainment that presents popular views/concepts, knows its audience and the main
aim is entertainment and not academic as such it would not dwell much on pragmatics
(Dorn, 2016). Popular narratives are vastly presented on commercial platforms and its
aim is for commercialisation, although it can also assist in delivering the message
(Dorn, 2016).

QUESTION 4

Reference List

Blenkinsop, L. ‘The Internet: Virtual Space’, in Sarah Barber & Corinna M. Peniston-Bird
(eds), History Beyond the Text: A Student’s Guide to Approaching Alternative Sources
(Abingdon & New York, 2009), pp. 208-230.

Dorn, S. ‘Is (Digital) History More Than an Argument about the Past?’, in Jack
Dougherty & Kristen Nawrotzki (eds), Writing History in the Digital Age (Ann Arbor,
2016), pp. 21-34.

Netshituni, K. “Katz Elaine (1935-2017) Biographical History”, November 2017-May

2018.

http://historicalpapers-atom.wits.ac.za/elaine-katz Accessed 17 May 2023.

Munroe, K. “Obituary of Elaine Natalie Katz”. In David Sacks (eds), Jewish Affairs.
(South African Jewish Board of Deputies 2017), Vol. 72., No (2), pp.6-7.

Wolff, R.S. ‘The Historian’s Craft, Popular Memory and Wikipedia’, in Jack Dougherty &
Kristen Nawrotzki (eds), Writing History in the Digital Age (Ann Arbor, 2016), pp. 64-74.