What is Public History?

This question rings through your mind as you read Becker, Brinkley and Meringolo. When searching for the answer to this question we realize that the definition is always evolving and changing. Without taking into account your audience you can’t nail down a definition that is all encompassing. However, with a fluid definition you are able to adapt your answer to the reader, audience, practitioner, or whoever else is asking the question.

In “Everyman His Own Historian” Becker breaks down the definition of history to its basest definition. He explains that at its root history is defined as “the memory of things said and done” (Becker 1932, 223). Becker breaks down the definition by equating the everyday person’s life to how professional historians use written records, research and eventually look at facts. This drawn out breakdown of the definition of history shows us that everyone is a public historian in their own way. We all find ourselves interacting with not only our own history but the world around us.

In “Historians and Their Publics” Brinkley concentrates on the importance of your audience. Whether you are looking to publish or to create an exhibit or all the things in between you must ask yourself what your audience wants to know. Brinkley also writes about the complications of honest history that when presented that way to the public can be controversial and jarring. (Brinkley 1994, 1029). Perhaps the most intriguing analysis Brinkley speaks of is how the world views the work of historians as opposed to what historians actually accomplish. The public believes that historians research and draw conclusions but Brinkley assesses historians constantly have their ideas and research being adjusted and shaped by the ever changing world around them.

Meringolo’s book Museums, Monuments, and National Parks dives further into Public History than the other articles. Meringolo explores government’s involvement in public history. With the government’s involvement we see advancements in historical preservation of not only land but also buildings. However, this involvement was clearly meant for white Americans to interact and those who have been oppressed throughout the years began to see their history neglected, erased, and sadly in some circumstances forgotten. Meringolo expresses the importance of the expansion of public history but calls for programs to be put in place that are inclusive.

After reading these two articles and the one book it would be hard not to see how much Public History influences us daily. We live in a world with so much knowledge at our fingertips and we are constantly learning. Over the last few years the call for inclusivity has seen a drastic increase in the public’s interest in the history of the oppressed. Those individuals, groups, and cultures that, at one time, were pushed aside are now being thrust into the spotlight and its holding historians accountable and the public is demanding more, to use Brinkley’s term, honest history. With history ever c

hanging and the advancements of technology we are seeing a new shift on the horizon with the rise of digital history. It’s an exciting time with all this new research and development. I look forward to being a part of what comes next.

Bibliography

Becker, Carl. “

Everyman His Own Historian.” The American Historical Review 37, no. 2 (1932): 221–36.

Brinkley, Alan. “Historians and Their Publics.” The Journal of American History 81, no. 3 (1994): 1027–30.

Meringolo, Denise D. Museums, Monuments, and National Parks: Toward a New Genealogy of Public History. Boston, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 2012.