The story that my dissertation tells about scrapbooking is about how scrapbooking is a way to both view the world and communicate that one’s life has value. Most scrapbookers come to view the world through the eyes of a member … Continue reading
One reason I focused on scrapbooking for my dissertation research is because the industry grew so quickly in a short period of time. I began working in the industry in 2003, which is around the time the industry was peaking. … Continue reading
This post refers to my dissertation but is not really about my dissertation. In my dissertation, I used the words artists, crafters, hobbyists, and handcrafters interchangeably when referring to scrapbookers. I found that scrapbookers consider their work to be both … Continue reading
Why Scrapbooking? Over the past 20 years, scrapbooking has grown from an obscure, kitschy craft stereotypically practiced by grandmothers and Mormons, to an economic powerhouse practiced by men and women of all walks of life. Though economically scrapbooking has leveled … Continue reading
I recently completed my doctorate in sociology. I successfully defended my dissertation, “Scrapworthy Lives: A Cognitive Sociological Analysis of a Modern Narrative Form” on August 18, 2010. This blog is based on my dissertation. I have decided to publish my … Continue reading
If something is not scrapworthy, then is it trashworthy? Maybe. I used to think that potentially scrapworthy things were not really trashworthy either. For example, consider excess photographs from the era of film cameras. I take many more photographs digitally … Continue reading
Stephanie Medley-Rath is a sociologist and scrapbooker who studies scrapbooking and memory keeping. Scrapworthy Lives is a blog focused on her sociological analysis of scrapbooking, with a sprinkling of posts about Stephanie's own scrapbooking projects.
