Site visitors were asked to respond to the following questions:
- What is Public History?
- What sort of training should Public Historians have?
- Where should they publish their work?
- How should they be compensated?
Add your thoughts
I think of public history as history in 3-D. Unlike academic history, delivered to us in a 2-D book or journal article, public history adds all the richness, texture, sights, smells, and touch of real life. Feel the chill of an iceberg at a "Titanic" artifacts exhibit--that's PH. Take in the smells and touch of a living history site, be it a ranch, farm, or Colonial Williamsburg.
Of course, the largely artificial wall between academic and public history should be torn down. Academic scholars should teach not only their professional colleagues, but also the general public, through popular publications and consulting on PH projects. And public historians should help improve the history profession in general by communicating their appreciation for and knowledge of a much wider range of source materials, media, and audiences that most academic historians have. So bring it on--history in 3-D!
Submitted by: Richard W. Slatta, North Carolina State University
2/14/2004
Basically, I believe that public history is history that deal [sic] with public issues and the public in general. Public history is taking history
to the public in exciting and nontraditional classroom type activities and settings. Public historians need to be trained in several
aspects. First, they should be trained as an academic historian. The reason I feel this way is because public historians will bridge the
gap between academic historians and people. Second, public historians need to be trained in different fields relating to history. For
example, Folklore, archaeology, archival research and maintenance, living history museums, museum exhibits, museum directors,
architecture (old and new), and should have some background in sociology and psychology courses or training.
Public historians need to be taught ethics and how to market their skills for their careers. Public historians need to be schooled in
theory, but must have practical--hands on knowledge of their field. Public historians can communicate this [sic] tips and other issues of
concern through magazines like Historic Preservation and Museum News. There are magazines and journals designed for teaching
history. These venues must be utilized by public historians for public historians and those lay people who are interested in history.
I'm tired of the laughter I hear when I tell people I will graduate with a history degree. Everyone tells me they love history but chose
another field because of the money. Respect or lack of respect is one of the main problems with this field. Once public historians gain
the respect of others monetary compensation will follow. To gain this respect, public historians must publish and develop a
standardized criteria and ethical code in the different fields of public history, such as museums, archives, preservation of buildings,
etc.
During the 1980s setting standard [sic] and ethics seem [sic] to be on the forefront of public history. It's been twenty years--enough
talk--let's see some results. The problem with public historians have with discussing issues over and over is a result of their academic
training. Public history is practical, hands on, for the here and now. Leave the redundancy to the academics.
Submitted by: Submitted anonymously
9/1/2000
