Pascal Massinon Named 2012 National Archives Legislative Archives Fellow
Press Release · Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero has selected Pascal Massinon as the 2012 National Archives Legislative Archives Fellow.

“We are pleased to welcome Mr. Massinon to the National Archives as the second recipient of this generous fellowship funded by the Foundation for the National Archives. This fellowship stems from our ongoing commitment to fostering research and inquiry into National Archives records. We look forward to Mr. Massinon sharing his research findings with staff and the community at large,” said the Archivist.

Massinon’s Ph.D. dissertation topic is “Home Taping: Participant Listeners and the Political Culture of Home Recording in the U.S.” His research examines how changes in home-recording technologies shaped the debate over copyright law and influenced the evolution of the U.S. entertainment industry from the 1950s to the late 1990s. Using records from the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives, he will explore how Congress changed entertainment industry regulations and how legislators, lobbyists, artists, and diverse business interests understood the role of government with regard to cultural policy.

“I am thrilled and greatly honored to receive this fellowship from the National Archives,” Massinon said. “Having the opportunity to work closely with archivists will help me make the most of my time in Washington and develop stronger arguments about the role of the legislative process in guiding the regulatory frameworks related to home-recording technologies in recent decades.”

Mr. Massinon is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History at the University of Michigan. He received a B.A. in history from the University of Calgary. To qualify for the fellowship, applicants had to have advanced to Ph.D. candidacy with an approved dissertation proposal at the time of application, or have received their Ph.D. within the last five years. Proposals required a publication plan outlining the significance of the proposed research.

As part of his fellowship, Massinon will make two public presentations: an initial talk to National Archives staff and local historians on his research proposal, and a later presentation of his research findings. He will also blog about his fellowship experience.

The National Archives Legislative Archives Fellowship carries a $10,000 stipend made possible through a generous grant from the Foundation for the National Archives.

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For press information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-357-5300.

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