Aja L. Bain
Public Historian/Museum Professional
Master's Research Papers and Interests
During my university career, I've researched and created papers and products that show my interests in both academic and public history. I'd like to share a few with you here. My research foci include Southern history, migration, and the intersections of race, class, and popular culture. Click the links to read these documents, and please reference me if you cite them.
This selection of papers shows my research interests as they have developed in my time at MTSU, particularly in the areas of whiteness and migration studies.
"White by Association, White by Occupation: the Historiography of European Immigration and Race"
" 'Our Kind of People': the Sociology of Southern Migration"
(part of the M.A. thesis and published in Southern Historian, 2015.)
My undergraduate career marked the beginning of my focus on Southern history. These papers show my interest in popular culture and marginalized communities in the region.
"Dueling Stereotypes: Perceptions of Southerners and Their Music in Early Twentieth-Century America" (2011, honors thesis)
" 'These Signs Shall Follow': the Serpent-Handling Christians of Appalachia" (2009, published in the Vanderbilt Undergraduate Research Journal)
RESEARCH & PROJECTS
M.A. Websites
No Place Like Home: Migration of USCT Soldiers After the War
For my fall 2012 Seminar in Public History, I researched the post-war experiences of the U.S. Colored Troops in the South. Using primary documents from the Freedman's Bureau and the Census, I wrote a narrative and brochure describing the lives of six former slaves from Alabama during Reconstruction.
Master's Thesis:
"'Knocking on the Big City's Door': Sociology and Southern Migrants to Chicago in the Early Twentieth Century"
My thesis discusses how sociologists and social workers studied Southern migrants to Chicago in the 20th century. Millions of Southerners of all races left the region during this period, and thousands ended up in Chicago, which was a hub of sociological research. The findings and methods of sociologists and social workers had important implications for the migrant experience nationwide. Click here to read my thesis proposal, and read the full thesis here!
I've created two websites while at MTSU. "Textile Conservation" was made for the spring 2014 History Seminar in Collections Management, and "Singing in the Golden Land: European Immigration Through Music" was made for the fall 2013 Seminar in Museum management.
Mock Grant Proposal -- Archaeology at J. Percy Priest Lake
For my fall 2013 Archaeology and Public History course, I researched and wrote a mock grant proposal to obtain funding for a shoreline survey and interpretation at J. Percy Priest Lake in Nashville. Although this was a class exercise and not a real grant, I learned a lot about the elements of a good grant and the workings of grant committees.
Wynnewood Exhibit Project
For my two museum courses, I worked on the Wynnewood exhibit project, first as a text editor and then as part of the education team. I also cataloged objects on-site.
Conference Presentations
"From "Knoxville Girl" to "Goodbye Earl": Agency and Authority in Southern Death Ballads"
Southwest Popular/American Culture Association 2014 Albuquerque, NM
"'Our Kind of People': the Sociology of Southern Migration"
Kentucky-Tennessee American Studies Association 2014 Murfreesboro, TN
“‘Knocking on the Big City’s Door’: Sociology and Chicago’s Southern Migrants.”
Auburn University at Montgomery Southern Studies Conference 2016
Montgomery, AL