Public history

Some people study the past for everyone. They do not just work in schools. They work in museums and old parks. They also work in film and TV.

These workers use many tools. They look at old things. They listen to people tell stories. This is called oral history.

Long ago, history was mostly for experts. Then, things began to change. People wanted to learn more about everyone.

They wanted to hear from all kinds of people. They looked at the lives of families. This helped everyone feel part of the past.

Today, these workers help us connect to history. It makes the past feel real for us all.

Public history is a way to share the past with everyone. Most historians work in schools or colleges. Public historians work in other places. You can find them in museums and old homes. They work in parks and at battlefields. Some work for the government or on TV shows. They also work with archives, which are places that keep old records.

These workers use many tools. They use oral history. This means they interview people to hear their memories. They also study old objects and sites. This helps people feel a link to the past.

In the past, history was mostly for experts. Many years ago, there were fewer jobs in colleges. This led many trained people to find new work. In the 1970s, the field grew fast. People wanted to learn about all kinds of groups. They wanted to hear about women and workers. They did not just want to hear about famous leaders. Today, public history helps many people understand our world.

Public history is a special way to share the past with everyone. Most historians work in universities to study history for other experts. Public historians work outside of those academic settings. They want to make history useful and easy for the general public to understand. They use professional methods to help people connect with their own roots. This work makes history feel alive for people in their daily lives.

There are many ways these historians do their work. Some use oral history, which means they interview people to record their memories. Others work in museum curatorship to look after old objects. Some people practice historic preservation to save old buildings and sites. You might find them working in archives to organize old records. They also work in parks, battlefields, and even on film and television.

This field grew quickly in the United States and Canada during the 1970s. Before this, many historians stayed mostly in colleges. In the 1960s and 1970s, social justice movements changed how people thought about the past. People wanted to learn about women and ethnic minorities, not just famous leaders. At the same time, there were fewer jobs in universities for historians. This led many trained people to find new, exciting careers in the public world.

Many important things helped start this new field in the United States. In 1976, Robert Kelley started a special program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He used a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to train students for these jobs. In 1978, a professional journal called "The Public Historian" was launched. The National Council on Public History was also founded in 1979. These groups helped people working in different places feel like they belonged to one big community.

Public history is happening all over the world today. In Canada, universities like the University of Western Ontario started programs in the 1980s. In Brazil, public history is very important for social history and oral history. There is even an International Federation for Public History that started in 2010. Whether it is through a museum or a local project, public history helps us see how the past shapes our present. It turns history into a shared journey for everyone.

Public history is a professional field focused on making historical knowledge accessible to everyone. While many historians work in universities to study topics for other experts, public historians work outside of these academic settings. They use professional historical methods to serve the general public. Their goal is to make history useful in ways that go beyond purely academic research. This practice helps people build a deeper and more empowering connection to the past. It turns historical study into a tool for society rather than just a subject for specialists.

This field involves many different types of work and specialized skills. One major part is archival science, which is the organized management of historical records. Another is historic preservation, the practice of protecting old buildings and sites. Many public historians work in museum curatorship to manage collections of objects. Some focus on oral history, which involves interviewing people to record their personal memories. Other areas include historical archaeology, digital history, and cultural heritage management. These diverse roles allow history to reach people in many different settings.

Public historians work in a wide variety of professional environments. You might find them working in museums, historic homes, or national parks. They also work at battlefields and in archives to manage important documents. Some use their skills in the media, such as working for film and television companies. Government agencies at all levels also employ people to handle historical data. Even new media platforms use public history to share stories with modern audiences. This variety shows how historical knowledge can be applied to almost any part of public life.

Historically, the way people practiced history has changed significantly. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, history became a distinct academic discipline. This created a separation between professional scholars in universities and amateur practitioners. By the middle of the twentieth century, many professional historians had retreated from public engagement. However, several major shifts in the 1960s and 1970s began to change this trend. Social justice movements created a new interest in the histories of women, ethnic minorities, and the working class. This moved the focus away from only studying "great men" and toward a broader social history.

The formal field of public history grew rapidly in the United States and Canada during the 1970s. In the U.S., Robert Kelley helped launch the movement at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In 1976, he used a Rockefeller Foundation grant to create a graduate program for training public historians. This program was designed to prepare students for careers in both the public and private sectors. The field became more organized with the launch of the journal "The Public Historian" in 1978. The National Council on Public History was also founded in 1979 to connect practitioners. These steps helped turn a collection of different jobs into a recognized professional community.

Defining the exact boundaries of public history can be difficult for experts. Some historians, like Peter Novick, have questioned if some work is actually "private history" for corporations. Others wonder if work that falls outside academic norms should be called "popular history" instead. There are also debates about "shared historical authority," or how much power the public should have in telling history. A 2008 survey of almost 4,000 practitioners showed that nearly one quarter had reservations about the term. Because there are so many different "publics" to serve, the definition remains a work in progress.

Today, public history is a global movement with many different expressions. In Canada, universities like the University of Western Ontario and Carleton University have established programs. In Brazil, the field is closely tied to social history and the Brazilian Public History Network. There is even an international connection through the International Federation for Public History, formed in 2010. This global network shows that the desire to connect people to their past is a worldwide interest. Whether through local heritage projects or international organizations, public history continues to evolve.