Picpus; Walled Garden of Memory; A Digital Archive

FAIN: ED-50094-03

Northwestern University (Evanston, IL 60208-0001)
Janine Spencer (Project Director: October 2002 to November 2008)

A digital archive using Picpus Cemetery in Paris as a focal point for exploring the intersections of French and American history over three centuries and related cultural themes.

The Picpus Digital Archive project seeks to promote investigation, discussion and appreciation of commemorative monuments. This archive, focusing on the Picpus Cemetery in Paris, permits students to establish links between the American and French revolutions and invites them to see a deeper understanding of history that stetches from the Reign of Terror to the German occupation of France during WWII, while making them reflect on the nature of monuments and examine the relationship of frief, memory and history to the creation and preservation of national consciousness. The archive incorporates new audio, visual, and textual material that permits studnets to pursue a line of inquiry according to their individual interests. It provides students the material necessary to investigate questions and hypotheses, to analyze and form opinions and judgements. The project is an open-ended research site designed to help investigators reflect on the nature of monuments and to understand their role in history and culture.