Paleography is the study of reading old forms of handwriting and a key component of deciphering historical sources. For more than 20 years, Esther González has researched, read and transcribed hundreds of documents in Spanish and Latin that relate to the conquest of the Americas, Asia and the Philippines, and has been an integral member of successful public history projects such as “Climate variations in the Atlantic coast of Spain (1850-1950)”, “Shipwrecks in the coast of Philippines (1565-1898)” and more recently, “Florida: The Interactive Digital Archive of the Americas”, among others, as a free-lance paleographer, consultant and researcher at Spanish archives.
In this talk, Esther Gonzalez will share her expertise in paleography and archival research methodology for those whose research takes place in Spanish, Latin American and U.S. archives. She will discuss what paleography entails such as learning historical dialects, deciphering writing systems, and mastering archaic abbreviations. A second aim of the talk is to discuss the professional advantages of becoming a free-lance paleographer and consultant for current students and researchers in various disciplines such as social sciences and history, genealogical studies, subacquatic archaeology, climate change research as well as museum and film production consultancy.
The talk is aimed to TTU students, faculty and staff, as well as the Lubbock community.