Brigitte Brown completed the history MA capstone in the summer of 2024. Her defense video examines barbecue culture among slaves in the Antebellum southern United States. Drawing from a rich collection of oral histories, she explores how barbecue functioned as an important meal created by and for black enslaved Africans. In this post, Brigitte shares insights from her research journey, her experience recording a video defense of her work, and the lessons she learned along the way. Her work reminds us how food can be more than sustenance; it can be a powerful expression of identity and resilience.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m Brigitte Brown—mother to five crazy kids, wife to one sweet man, and lover of all things history and outdoors. I love eating and preparing barbecue and have even participated in some BBQ competitions—so I decided to find out more about the history of BBQ for one of my research papers, which turned into my Capstone Research Paper!
What was your favorite part of the history program?
I loved getting lost in primary sources—reading real stories of real people from a different time is the most magical form of entertainment. This program taught me how to quickly find these sources and glean meaningful conclusions from them, rather than just say, “Well, that’s interesting.” Before this program, I felt very disconnected from the past. Now, I feel I have all the tools to build my own time machine. The past is more accessible than it has ever been for me.
What did you learn from the process of creating and recording the research defense video?
Creating the video defense taught me quite a bit about presenting and teaching. Since the video was less formal than the paper, I was able to focus more on presenting my findings in a more approachable and digestible way. And while I love teaching, I don’t love hearing myself talk—I realized I need to simplify my language, slow down, and color my tone to sound more natural and compelling.
What advice would you give to someone currently in the program?
You will have more fun and a smoother time allowing your interests to guide your research rather than a preconceived thesis or notion of what the sources might say. My best research began with an open mind, diving into topics I was interested in. From there, questions formed. With enough time in the primary sources, those questions evolve, and answers present themselves. Don’t stress too much if another scholar has already covered your topic or made a similar discovery—there is always another approach you can take.
You can view the presentation below.
