National Inventory of Documentary Sources in the United States. Part 1, Federal Records; part 2, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress; part 3, State Archives, Libraries, and Historical Societies; part 4, Academic Libraries and Other Repositories

This article examines the first decades of the field of ethnohistory as it developed in the United States. It participated in the general rapprochement between history and anthropology of mid-twentieth-century social science. However, unlike parallel developments in Europe and in other research areas, ethnohistory specifically arose out of the study of American Indian communities in the era of the Indian Claims Commission. Thus ethnohistory developed from a pragmatic rather than a theoretical orientation, with practitioners testifying both in favor of and against claims. Methodology was flexible, with both documentary sources and ethnographic methods employed to the degree that each was feasible. One way that ethnohistory was innovative was the degree to which women played prominent roles in its development. By the end of the first decade, the field was becoming broader and more willing to engage both theoretical and ethical issues raised by the foundational work. In particular, the geographic scope began to reach well beyond North America, especially to Latin America, where archival resources and the opportunities for ethnographic research were plentiful, but also to areas such as Melanesia, where recent European contact allowed researchers to observe the early postcontact period directly and to address the associated theoretical questions with greater authority. Ethnohistory is thus an important example of a field of study that grew organically without an overarching figure or conscious plan but that nevertheless came to engage central issues in cultural and historical analysis.

Download Full-text

Documentary Sources in the United States for Foreign Missions Research: A Select Bibliography and Checklist

International Bulletin of Missionary Research ◽

10.1177/239693938500900107 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 19-29

Author(s):

Robert Shuster

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

The United States ◽

Foreign Missions ◽

Documentary Sources ◽

Select Bibliography

Download Full-text

Risk and Impact Assessment of Dams in the Contiguous United States Using the 2018 National Inventory of Dams Database

Water ◽

10.3390/w13081066 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 1066

Author(s):

Junho Song ◽

Madden Sciubba ◽

Jonghun Kam

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Storage Capacity ◽

The United States ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Spatiotemporal Patterns ◽

Dam Failure ◽

Environmental Damage ◽

Hazard Potential ◽

Significant Potential ◽

National Inventory

Aging water infrastructure in the United States (U.S.) is a growing concern. In the U.S., over 90,000 dams were registered in the 2018 National Inventory of Dams (NID) database, and their average age was 57 years old. Here, we aim to assess spatiotemporal patterns of the growth of artificial water storage of the existing dams and their hazard potential and potential economic benefit. In this study, we use more than 70,000 NID-registered dams to assess the cumulative hazard potential of dam failure in terms of the total number and the cumulative maximum storage of dams over the 12 National Weather Service River Forecast Center (RFC) regions. In addition, we also estimate potential economic benefits of the existing dams based on their cumulative storage capacity. Results show that the ratios of the cumulative storage capacity to the long-term averaged precipitation range from 8% (Mid-Atlantic) to 50% (Colorado), indicating the significant anthropogenic contribution to the land surface water budget. We also find that the cumulative storage capacity of the dams with high (probable loss of human life is if the dam fails) and significant (potential economic loss and environmental damage with no probable casualty) hazard potential ranges from 50% (North Central) to 98% (Missouri and Colorado) of the total storage capacity within the corresponding region. Surprisingly, 43% of the dams with either high or significant potential hazards have no Emergency Action Plan. Potential economic benefits from the existing dams range from $0.7 billion (Mid Atlantic) to $15.4 billion (West Gulf). Spatiotemporal patterns of hazard potential and economic benefits from the NID-registered dams indicate a need for the development of region-specific preparation, emergency, and recovery plans for dam failure. This study provides an insight about how big data, such as the NID database, can provide actionable information for community resilience toward a safer and more sustainable environment.

Download Full-text