Public History Essay

January, 17 2018 http://ncph.org/what-is-public-history/about-the-field/ The author of this website, which would be the National Council on Public History, is specifically looking at what exactly is public history and what exactly is meant by public history. Public History can be defined as history in the field. It is the use of history in real life situations. It is history applied and goes outside the realm of academic history. The author does mention that while there used to be clear definitions between public and academic history with public history being more multi-disciplinary, history as an academic subject has also increasingly become multi-disciplinary. Public historians have many different names such as archivists, museum professionals, and local historians. The author’s main argument surrounding these definitions of public history is that there are different forms of history with public history being the kind that the average person sees. Public historians can deeply impact their local communities and many collaborate with local community members on projects to ensure that the history they’re detailing is that of the community who is affected by it. The author does note that while many public history projects can be educational, the purpose might be more for an intellectual history like for a business’s archives. Public history projects could also be used to promote the local town or for the town’s own economic development.

Charles F. Bryan, Jr., “State Historical Agencies, Museums, and Societies: A Constant State of Change,” in James B. Gardner & Peter S. LaPaglia, Public History: Essays from the Field (Malabar, Florida, 2006), 295-306
James B. Gardner, “Contested Terrain: History, Museums, and the Public,” The Public Historian 26.4 (Fall 2004), 11-21

The Critical Museum