Kat is a fourth year PhD candidate and public historian of 21st century Canadian history. Her research interests include local history, public history, and history of tourism/heritage.
Under the supervision of Professor Caroline-Isabelle Caron, she examines representations and commercializations of the past in the heritage and tourism industry in Kingston, Ontario. In particular, her research looks at the use of ghost stories, hauntings, and allure of deviancy used in the promotion of tourism at sites of pain such as Rockwood Asylum, Kingston Penitentiary, and other sites.
She uses the skills she learned in her Public History masters to engage with the community and make her research accessible to the public.
Kat has presented her research for the Kingston Historical Society (November 2023), interviewed by Western University’s Gradcast Radio, Dr. Samantha Cutrara’s “Source Saturday”, and other podcasts, and has been a guest speaker for graduate classes on her work as a public historian and her research on dark tourism. She also has done several media interviews and has had her research shared on CBC Radio: Ontario Morning, on Global News Kingston, in CBC Ottawa, and more.
Kat has had the opportunity to engage with the public through her work at Banting House National Historic Site, where she co-curated an exhibit titled, “Dear Dr. Banting” which makes accessible, the letters written by guests left in Dr. Banting’s bedroom. She currently works for the Museum of Ontario Archaeology as the Museum Coordinator.
In her spare time, she enjoys sewing, blogging, photography, and cosplaying.
Co-Curator, “Dear Dr. Banting”, Banting House National Historic Site, 2020.
https://deardrbanting.wordpress.com/
Interviewee, “50 Shades of Tourism”, Western’s Gradcast Radio, 2020.
https://gradcastradio.podbean.com/e/episode-272-kat-macdonald/
Interviewee, “Source Saturday: Dark Tourism”, Dr. Samantha Cutrara, 2020.
