Cohen and Brown

In this week’s articles we explore the influence of digitizing and history. The pros, the cons, the novel factor of it all are explored. Both Cohen and Brown agree that the Digital medium is an important aspect of history for the public because it provides an opening for those who already utilize the digital world. The digital history world opens up new doors and pathways for a new generation to explore the world of history.
Cohen’s two articles are unique and important because they show the up and the down side of digital history. Whereas a book or a paper can be long lasting and preserved, a cd, dvd or other digital medium can wear and tear much easier. One of the major difficulties that surprised me was the issue of how much information the Digital libraries allow in. Since space isn’t as much of an issue in the digital world, they are able to accept more items no matter their relevance or importance. The fragility of the digital world is surprising as well; one scratch one “oops I dropped it” can lose information forever. The importance of this almost becomes to not rely explicitly on one medium but perhaps to preserve the digital and the physical.
In Cohen’s other article, “History and the Second Decade of the Web”, Cohen takes a more optimistic approach to the digital medium and approaches it as an opportunity to engage in discussion among the populace. One of the truly interesting aspects of this article is that Cohen makes the point that digital libraries allow for a broader view of a subject. Since one can incorporate more items on a cd it allows for a better vision of the topic. While not completely downgrading the usefulness of books, Cohen does make the case that digital history has a future in the world of history.
Brown also focuses on the importance of this new medium as well. He refers to it as “active learning”. While a challenge for historians (as is what we learned in the Hollywood readings last week), it has a potential to be a highly successful tool when utilized properly. While a book accompanying a movie might not have a great response, a CD-ROM following a book can be highly useful and almost extremely necessary to engage the new generation of digital students.
These readings this week showed a new medium that once again challenges historians to think beyond the paper and into the minds and homes of the population. It is truly interesting to see how the way historical works change must change with the people they are attempting to reach. Within this digital world it is necessary to bring history to the mediums that the people are interested in.

Hollywood and History

In this week’s readings we see different perspectives on cinema and history. Through reading these articles, the main question that appeared to me is how does academic history play in the world of Hollywood? It is interesting to see these author’s perspectives on the importance of historical accuracy and of reaching the general public. Davis believes that perhaps a film should always have a corresponding book, whereas Corley and Rose believe that films such as documentaries should be held to historical accuracy, and Toplin believes that historical films are just another Hollywood genre.
Toplin explores the challenges that history in film creates. Movies such as Schinder’s List and The Patriot are often noted as being those discussed in this genre. The most interesting piece of advice that Toplin offers is to professional historians on page 83 of his article. He warns professionals to not turn away from these mainstream movies because then public discussion of these histories will be left to the unprofessional. This brings up an interesting point that while historians may not always be pleased with Hollywood, it is important for them to remain active in these blockbuster films because if historians turn away, where will history go? It’s bad enough that today we hear critiques of American students not knowing their U.S. history, but what would happen if filmmakers suddenly had complete artistic license?
Toplin also focuses on how historians can use film to elevate their own understandings of history. He states that so much can be learned from studying the production of a film; from its history to the production process. Does this make filmmaking historical? Not necessarily, but it does say something about a type of historical product present in our society.
Davis explores how historians and filmmakers differ and are similar in their history telling. Through looking at the story of Martin Guerre and the film created about it, Davis finds that while some historical inaccuracy is warranted based on budget or for dramatic appeal, she believes there should be a corresponding historical book to pick up the missed pieces left from film production. While this is an interesting idea and I do believe that some people would read these books, it is a stretch to say just how effective this book would be to the public. As we see with recent movies such as the Twilight novel, people view a movie, want to know more and go read a book about it. Often disappointments appear when things in the film have been altered from the truth or the text. Together these two may work well together, but would it reach the general public?
Finally, Rose and Corley focus their argument on the work of Ken Burns and his work Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. In this article, the authors hold Burns accountable for historical inaccuracies because he calls them documentaries. They claim that he creates a one-sided heroism view of these two women and converts historical fact to his narrative style. He has carved out a nice place in the film industry; he has been awarded several honors for his work and is an acclaimed documentary filmmaker. But the authors claim that this all comes at a cost, and they offer the solution that perhaps history should be included with the new social historian approach included and that perhaps even these works should be held accountable for their sources.
All of these articles argue the issue of film and history. I can remember my undergraduate advisor getting so angry at movies such as Disney’s Pocahontas and Forrest Gump because o their historical inaccuracies. In part, I must agree with this perspective. Generations are raised believing a view of history that is wrong; they never go beyond what one person’s view says. Yet, these films do have their benefit in that they do bring history to the people. How many people go on to read more after seeing these films? How many people do these films reach? I almost have to agree with Toplin in the importance of historians remaining involved in this new extension of the field. While it does present new challenges, it reaches a public that increasingly wants to learn with a dramatic flair in 2 hours more than it wants to sit down and read a book.

Terkel and Frisch Review

This week’s readings were from two very different authors and writing styles. Michael Frisch’s A Shared Authority: Essays on the Craft and Meaning of Oral and Public History and Studs Terkel’s Touch and Go: A Memoir both cover the topic of oral history. Both cover the topic thoroughly and effectively but with different styles. Studs Terkel took a more personal approach, while Michael Frisch read like a textbook. Through the differences on central theme emerges focusing on oral history and the audience it should and does reach. Public history and oral history are meant to tell a story and make it accessible to the public, and both authors discuss how they have experienced this throughout their careers.
Studs Terkel begins by randomly discussing events at the beginning of his life. The initial approach seems scattered and it took me awhile to understand his purpose and direction. Eventually around chapter five it became clear that Terkel’s intention was to show the lives of people. Through his work with oral history, Terkel strove to show what the subject felt was important, what the person thought was influential to the time and to their lives. Through this method amazing stories and information emerged that were influential to the future historians and to the people telling the story. The truly interesting aspect of oral history that emerges through Terkel’s work is the understanding of the need to be remembered. We all don’t want to be forgotten, we want our stories to have meaning and thus our lives. Terkel’s memoir shows this need and desire. Through the stories of his own life, come the stories of many.
A Shared Authority by Michael Frisch connects back to the work of Studs Terkel and then expands further. While Frisch’s writing style was harder to connect with, it still has its value. Frisch explores events and subjects throughout his career. He too discusses the importance of the audience and often goes back to the same subject as a previous read. The need for historians to work with the public and how it all plays out in this sphere is portrayed here. He explains how this relationship exists even within the field of oral history. I liked how in Frisch’s work we get to connect back to Terkel’s work through his work Hard Times. Frisch and Terkel come to the conclusion that oral history is important because it is the truth as known by those that lived it, even if some of that information is false, it still has value. Frisch offers a unique perspective of balance between history and oral history and their interconnectedness.
Overall, these two works combined offer a perspective on oral history that shows the value of even false information as long as it is in the correct historical framework. While Terkel’s may have been an easier read and entertainingly written, Frisch offers a different style on a similar message. Both books were good introductions into the field of oral history, even if one did take more concentration to read through.

Remaking America

Patriotism, memory, commemoration. These words all participate within a public arena at times, and are exploited and utilized by many different people and groups. The author John Bodnar has written Remaking America: Public Memory, Commemoration, and Patriotism in the Twentieth Century to explore this exact arena. In one of his opening sentences he describes the purpose of his book to be, “the creation of public memory in commemorative activities celebrating America’s past and the dramatic exchange of interests that are involved in such exercises…” (13) Throughout the chapters of this book, Bodnar explores the changes within public memory in America’s history. He focuses on the utilization of different groups and powers to change public memory through commemoration activities. Bodnar begins by looking at the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial. He then moves onto discussing the changes in public memory according to the American Revolution.
Throughout his research and his writing, Bodnar exposes how vernacular memory and official memory are linked and how they are separated. He explains the differences and the way to the two affect each other. Vernacular memory is that memory which is attached at the local level. It is often attached to local events and emotions. Official memory is that which is propagated by the nation-state. Throughout this book, Bodnar directs the reader to his conclusion that often the cultural elite, the powerful, and the merchants control the public memory. He also shows how the government eventually found its way into the vernacular memory as ties weakened. The need to maintain the status quo and structure within society pushed the government into taking over commemoration and pageantry.
Within ethnic memory, Bodnar shows how the need to show patriotism often overtook the need to maintain a vernacular ethnic history. The Irish professionals within the American-Irish Historical Society are used as an example of how ethnic groups tried to show patriotism to link their ethnicities to the American Revolution. It is interesting to note that many ethnic groups used their ethnicity’s links to the American Revolution to legitimate their history and their place in the U.S.
Bodnar shows how symbols can change at times as well, such as that of George Washington and the American Revolution. Throughout this book it becomes clear the importance of the American Revolution to the U.S. and to its own understanding of public memory and commemoration. The pre-eminence of national identity over others becomes clear through his examples and use of the park service’s pageantry.
Overall, this book is effective at showing how public memory is shaped by the powerful and held onto tightly by the officials. While his writing at times is dry and methodical, he does express his point well through examples. He admits in the preface that he comes from a social history background and only came across this topic through research into political expressions of patriotism. He began by looking at the small world and found the big world in charge.

Peter the Great Monument

On page 16- 17, Levinson discusses the "grandiose, $20 million, 150-foot nautical bronze statue of Peter the Great". Well here it is, and it is truly not well-liked by many Muscovites and was actually supposed to be a gift to the U.S. from a Russian artist of Christopher Columbus. Yet, the U.S. turned it down, so they unscrewed the head and screwed on a Peter the Great head. As the article said too the irony is that Peter the Great created St. Petersburg because he despised Moscow. So, the irony of a nautcal monument of Peter the Great placed in a virtually land-locked city that he hated is not lost on the residents, and actually is viewed as disrespectul to many of them. The power of a monument.

Written in Stone Analysis

Sanford Levinson approaches the topic of Public History from the point of view of national identity through monuments and other public spaces. This book has proven to be an extremely interesting read. Levinson discusses the central theme of how those with political power within any society choose to organize public space to convey specific messages. One of the truly interesting aspects of this book is that it does not just focus simply on political reasons, but also ideological factors such as the Confederate flag. Levinson covers a broad base of public spaces that are influenced by politics and the history surrounding them.
In the beginning, Levinson focuses on the controversies present in Eastern Europe. Eastern Europe is known as being a tumultuous region, and is an excellent place to start with this discussion. As Levinson notes, the Bolsheviks were well known for this action. They were also well known for erecting hundreds of monuments depicting Lenin and Stalin throughout the Soviet Union (as Levinson describes in his explanation of Prague’s statue to Lenin). The surprising part to me was when Levinson notes on page 14 that after the fall of communism, even some strong anti-communists were ambivalent to the destruction of these symbols of the Soviet Union.
Beginning with the severe transitions in Eastern Europe opens the door to a global perspective on the topic. The movement to the conversation of the South brings it all back home. I especially liked that Levinson admits that it is slightly a personal reason that he focused on that area on page 31. It makes him appear to be honest and more trustworthy. I appreciated that he took his argument globally and then brought it back home, because it shows how the issue over public space is universal.
Levinson also expands on his point by including other aspects of public space, such as street names. He opens the subject to incorporate some aspects of public space that some may not commonly think of. The weight of a street name is expressed throughout his book, and surprisingly it is more complex than one might think. The name of a street in Germany or in San Francisco faces the same difficulties in the process. It really makes one begin to look around even Tallahassee and wonder how streets got their names.
Levinson’s approach to writing is unique in that he doesn’t use chapters. His book is one continuous process, in essay format. In some instances this may seem tedious but Levinson makes it work successfully. Also, the usage of photos is important because it shows the way historical figures are depicted. Overall this book approaches the issue of public space effectively. I really liked the perspective he took on the subject and how he described the situation from a relatable situation, the South, and the global view.

Archive Stories

In this week’s readings in Archive Stories: Facts, Fictions, and the Writing of History, a collection of essays are presented in order to show how the past works in the present, how archives interact with state matters, and how sometimes archives can become a contact zone. Through research and studies of archives around the world from a wide selection of authors, Antoinette Burton brings together these issues. It quickly becomes clear the amount of issues that archives face; whether it be from outside sources such as government regimes or from simply how to incorporate a sensitive issue such as the Soweto uprising. One of the most interesting themes of this book is that it shows how history can change and how often times objectivity is lost in history due to outside pressures.

One clear example of outside pressure comes from the essay by Jeff Sahadeo called, “Without the Past There is no Future”: Archives, History, and Authority in Uzbekistan.” In the creation of a central archive after the fall of Soviet rule in the area, it shows the need to reconcile two different histories and how access can be denied and utilized. Therefore these archives clearly become a contact zone within the country. In a country that has been forced to constantly change not only its culture but its understanding of the past, it becomes obvious why a sign that reads, “without the past, there is no future” would be necessary in such a central archive.

Throughout this collection it is shown the importance of archives in national identity, in continuing and exploring history, and how controlled they can be down to even who has the right to look at their materials. This book is an important tool in understanding the significance of archives in today’s societies. The use of essays allows the reader to understand that this is a global topic and breaks up what could become a monotonous essay. Also the division of the book into three distinct sections allows Burton to arrange the essays she has included into her three arguments. This book was informative and well researched, as well it helped to broaden my own understanding of just how many trials archives face around the world.

One of the things that truly struck me, and I am not even sure the author intended this to be a point, but how divided a collection can become in the archive system. This became apparent in the essay on the Peal archives in New Zealand. Mr. Peal collated documents and resources pertaining to the Polynesian society in the late 1800s. Today his works are scattered throughout larger collections: the main Polynesian Society Collection, the library section, and the “further records” section. I guess I just never realized how a collection, largely donated, would become split between different areas. It seems to make the work of an archivist a little bit more difficult when one considers that even taking care of one collection can span several different areas and centers.

Historic Preservation by Diane Barthel

Historic Preservation can occur for several different reasons, motives, and results. The book Historic Preservation: Collective Memory and Historical Identity explores the differences in the preservation movements between the U.S. and Britain. It’s especially interesting to note the two different reasons for the beginning of the movement. In the U.S. it was driven by a patriotic motive, while in Britain it was motivated by intellectual and artistic means. Barthel begins by describing the two areas progression in historic preservation, and does so quite well. One of the main themes that Barthel attempts to explain and explore is that of authenticity, which according to our author runs quite a gamut of options. She also explores the cultural capital of a nation, the concept of Utopia in staged symbolic communities.
An interesting moment in the book is when she explains on page 57 that the German word for monument is Denkmal, which can be literally translated as “occasion for reflection”. This leads to an interesting line of thought. Monuments really are an occasion for reflection. Just think of the monuments that span our own campus. Do they make you reflect on the meaning?, on the artistry?, or something else? I know that some of them make me stop and wonder what occasion was seen as important enough to need or deserve a monument. On that same page she goes on to explain how industrial ruins have become denkmals. Within this chapter, Barthel does a good job at explaining the differences between historical artifacts. She does this through looking at industrial ruins and how they have been utilized in both countries.
Barthel also explains the preservation and usage of war ruins and remembrance. She discusses how the Civil War Battlefields have always attracted tourists and how this buzz helps to stimulate the nearby economies. She also discusses how the new social history has changed what is today considered an artifact. One of the best examples of this is the package of cookies from the Gulf War. Prior to the new social history movement, a package of cookies would have rarely been held as a museum piece. The British preservation of this war is quite similar as well, as she notes that they preserved plastic cups, etc.
This book is an interesting look at the movement of historic preservation and its uses to form a collective identity and a historical identity. Objects and how they are displayed and preserved can aid in how people view themselves. Barthel does a good job with this book, and writes from a modernist form. She compares Britain and the U.S.’s preservationist movements. The U.S. appears to take a more capitalistic approach while Britain tends to take a more elitist view. This book makes sense once it becomes clear that Diane Barthel is a sociologist. She looks at the collective movement of preservation and the meaning that it can span between nations. This book is a more technical read, but still a good one.

Preservation Across the Seas (Suzhdal, Russia)

This is the cathedral in Suzhdal, Russia. If you look closely, you can see the support planks, etc. I just thought it would be neat to see an international preservationist effort.

Road Trips Through History

Road Trips Through History is an intriguing look at some of America’s buildings, historic districts, and other pieces of history through the eyes of a preservationist. This collection of Dwight Young’s essays brings together a witty and often personal approach to exploring America through its main streets, its monuments, its starry skies, and the successful and unsuccessful preservationist movements surrounding them. These essays offer a unique perspective into the various elements of society that are disappearing for the sake of progress. At times, the essays seem to carry a similar message that progress often means deleting the past, and Young describes just how dangerous that thought can be to one’s history. Young’s Road Trip Through History even takes us to the island of Kizhi, Russia to see the preservation of wooden cathedrals. This compilation of essays appeals to the reader on a personal level, and draws us in by illustrating areas of our culture that many people can relate to, such as the feelings tied to places.
Often times while reading through these essays, I found my memory drifting to similar places: drive-in movies that I frequented as a child that were torn down, main streets that had been preserved in my hometown in PA, or the courthouse in Punta Gorda, FL that has taken years to restore since Hurricane Charley. The essay on Kizhi, Russia’s wooden cathedrals reminded me of one of my awe-inspiring museum moments that I had recently in Suzhdal, Russia. At an outdoor museum, stood an Orthodox Cathedral created entirely out of wood; it was breathtaking. Every angle, every inch of it was captivating and inspiring, and it was being restored. It was almost humorous to look at this building that was quite clearly 17th-18th century architecture being redone in today’s Russia. What that building must have meant to the people of that small town who had lived through so much of their own dramatic history, one can only guess. That feeling of a building making you smile, a front porch feeling like home, a monument remembering something important is universal, just as the need for preservation.
Young’s essays are successful because he covers a wide scope of topics and he does so from a personal perspective. Through explaining how destruction and reconstruction touched not only him, but was visible in others such as in the case of the two women at the Whitelaw, Young brings his arguments home. He does not always go to the most obvious examples, but small town examples which resonate within the individual. He shows the struggles and the triumphs of preservationists; even including one on preservation of the starry sky in New Mexico.
This collection of essays explains the preservation history through personal appeals, witty words, and hometown examples. The author does a wonderful job of exploring preservationist work through several different avenues and this book is a must read for anyone, because it not only reminds us of how important places and history are for us today, but also of how important it is that we continue this work for future generations.

Displays of Power

Steven C. Dubin’s Displays of Power details the struggles and conflicts that emerge for museums in the creation of exhibits. One section describes the remainder of the book and Dubin’s reason for writing. He states that it would be easier if there was a clear cut hero and villain, yet he cites the difficulties with representing anything to completely please everyone. Basically, his purpose for writing is not to show the difficulties of creating an exhibit but examples of issues that arise once an exhibit is completed. Throughout this book, one also gets the view of the changes that occurred in museums such as the Met and others during these time periods and how they changed into forums for discussion, protest, and individual opinions from previous positions as temples.
Dubin describes through each chapter the controversies that arose in connection to exhibits such as Harlem on my Mind, the Gaelic Gotham, the Freud exhibit, The West as America, and the Enola Gay. He shows how shared inquiry and the forum set up can lead to controversies over everything from the name of the exhibit, to accusations of racism, to debates over proper representation. It also shows how the media can play a part in the debate and the furthering of controversy. Dubin succeeds in portraying his argument and his thesis through several examples of exhibits that faced controversy in the 1990s. He centralizes his argument around the emergence of exhibits that directly led to controversy through American cultural and historical subjects.
While not always discussing the entirety of the historical aspect of the exhibition, he does show the different sides that surrounded each event to show how there really is no easy way to pinpoint a hero or a villain in a story, because portraying one side of a story positively can negatively represent others, such as in Harlem on my Mind when they tried to show how within Harlem at this time the Jewish population controlled many upper level job positions. This portrayed the Jewish population in a negative light, which sent the Jewish community into a choir of protests. He shows how arguments can surround a subject from all sides.
The basic sense that emerges from Dubin’s work was that sometimes even the best of intentions can have the worst outcomes. These exhibits, each in their own way, attempted to show a new aspect of American society. The response to each of these was not the most positive, but it does show a truth behind the process that in today’s world, everyone feels they should have and deserve shared authority for representations of history through museums and their displays. Dubin attempts to show the debates in a circular fashion, by looking at not only the time but the issues from all sides. The book shows another side of the museum process, it was not as strong of writing as the Linenthal book, but he does show how not only the creation can be controversial but the result also.

Linenthal Part 2

The end of Linenthal’s book continues the theme of the balancing act that the National Holocaust Memorial Museum underwent in its creation. At times the entire museum planning and creation process appears to be similar to a tight rope walker. It is a continual balance between different sides and between historical details as well. With a subject such as the Holocaust it especially shows the dangers associated with not only planning but executing a museum. Linenthal shows how much research he put into discovering just how the process underwent throughout the years from beginning to end by showing all of the struggles involved.
One aspect of the difficulties that personally stuck out was the dilemma over the use of pictures and using the photos as a means to prove the disbelievers wrong. The first battle was over proving the authenticity of the photos by using the gritty, stained originals rather than fixing them so that those conspiracy theorists in the world could not make the argument that the pictures had been doctored at all. From class, we saw that museums are the most trusted source of historical reference, and to know that a museum dealing with such a large atrocity would be fighting over authenticity over pictures seemed astounding. As well, the importance of showing the photos of the Jewish history that was completely destroyed in the town of Eishishok. This use of these photos portrayed the need for the museum to show the living prior to the beginning of their victimization. This was an interesting approach to the museums creation, because even this caused issues; what pictures would be used, where would they be, how would they be arranged?
Linenthal’s book is a great resource for those who intend to enter the field of museum creation or work in any way shape or form. Through the museum, he shows the arguments, the stresses, the successes and the realities of this work. Before reading this book, it never occurred to me how many different aspects occurred behind the scenes before the doors even opened. The formation of a building that was sufficient for the message, the piecing together of a permanent exhibit that satisfied the people and the victims, the use of artifacts appropriately, and so many more factors all display just how much it all really takes. It breaks the fantasy of it being simple or purely a creative undertaking and shows the reality of it all as a messy, difficult process with a satisfying end (hopefully). This book has forever changed the way I will view the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C. and subsequently the way I will most likely view future museums. The attempt to take the memorial beyond its purpose and to make it a teaching tool, a historical piece, and an accurate piece of work to memorialize the millions who died and perished in the Holocaust.

Preserving Memory 1-166

Preserving Memory by Edward Linenthal explores the enormous undertaking of building a memorial to a catastrophic event in world history. He describes the nuts and bolts that accompany the creation of such a memorial and does so through exploring primary accounts from those involved and by researching the process that began in the 1980s. Through his work, he shows how bureaucratic and how difficult creating history for the public can be through the event of the Holocaust. Last week’s readings on sharing authority set the stage for this book quite nicely, yet Linenthal portrays the truth of the process and the trials and tribulations that accompany such an undertaking.
This book and its author successfully illustrate the immense difficulties that occurred within this enormous process and how each side dealt with the weight of the issue. He gives equal notice to the Jewish and non-Jewish sides of the debates. He uses direct quotes from council members, victims, government officials and documents, and many other primary sources to illustrate just how tedious the process was at this time. Through his research, he shows the successes, the trials, and the arguments surrounding this time period. While at times the process of the book becomes repetitive, it was successful in showing the trials of public history and the strain that the process can have on historic events. It illuminates the high and the low points of public history through the eyes of the Holocaust Memorial’s creation in Washington D.C.
Linenthal describes the sensitive issue involved and the many road blocks the council, the government, and those surrounding the event faced. He repetitively covers the time from the beginning of idea conception to the first ground breaking for the memorial. Representing an event of this magnitude, that also happens to be controversial, is an excellent example of the strain a historian can have in representing the facts without trivializing those involved or disrespecting the event in any way, shape, or form. Those involved on the Jewish side of the debate commented regularly on the issue of not allowing the Holocaust to be swept into a political bureaucracy or by being misrepresented. Those on the other side created arguments that all victims should be involved in a memorial and that perhaps America was not an appropriate place for such a memorial.
Linenthal’s book places last week’s readings and understanding of sharing authority into a real life context. The National Holocaust Museum was constantly dealing with the effects of not only being respectful and appropriately honoring those who had died because of the Holocaust but also with the U.S. government and with the public as a whole. The issues between Elie Wiesel, the U.S. bureaucracy, the American public, the Polish-American community, the Jewish-American community and many others showed the issues that arise through shared authority and through public history. Linenthal’s ability to show this reality of public history and of memorializing an event is a historical success and an asset to the field.

Week 2 Readings

Corbett and Miller, What is Public History?, and Presence of the Past address a similar subject of collaboration and engagement between historians and the public. They show the importance of not only portraying the truth of history but also including the public in the equation. All of the readings from this week explore the ultimate importance of the historian and the public working together. They show the importance of the public’s personal engagement with the topic, with the history, and with the historians. The collaborative process, the sharing of authority and inquiry, and the engagement of the public are all explored through these works. The week’s theme of the intertwining of the process of public history through the public and the historical process shows how important it is when working within public history to engage not just colleagues within the field, but also to make it relatable personally and academically to those who hold the history in their own background and in their own everyday lives.
Presence of the Past addresses the topic of Public History by exploring it through the research path of oral history. This is accomplished through interviews with over one thousand individual Americans; including interviewees randomly selected, and over six hundred African Americans, American Indians, and Mexican Americans. Within the context of these interviews, the participants were asked several questions regarding the “past”. The surveyors purposely strayed from the usage of the term “history” because it was shown to have a negative connotation attached with it; including the negative response that the authors show comes from high school history. Therefore the results follow accordingly to this pattern, and people interpreted the past to relate more often to their familial lines and ways of preserving that past. The authors appeared to have picked the results for their book that fit the best with each other while only slightly noting the variations that occurred. These results showed that people felt no connection to a cohesive history through high school history, and the book actually tends to focus much more on how people relate to their own personal history, not necessarily the history of museums or of the United States. The authors stated that their argument was that that people pursue the past actively and that it is in fact a part of their everyday lives. Throughout Presence of the Past, Rosenzweig and Thelen argue this point through their research and findings through their interviews. However, the book does not drastically alter the field of history, it does attempt to alter the criticism that a lot of academics hold to be true, that Americans are just not interested or knowledgeable with history. The main issue with this book is that it does not directly address the exact criticism but instead shows what Americans are historically interested and active in, which is most often topics that directly affect the individual’s lives. The book succeeds in showing how Americans are involved in history, and it shows history at the basic level, the individual.