Public Historians
For my final assignment, I chose to expand on forum number five, which talked about Public Historians and recording popular culture. This thread features some great discussions and points mentioned in class and in the discussion board, which I would like to bring light to in this paper. It is not only our job as Historians/Public Historians to evaluate and interpret the world around us and change over time. Recording history has become almost effortless, since everything is digital, making a single Facebook post or Tweet on Twitter, a record of the past.
To start off, what is a Public Historian and what do they do? According to History.UCSB.edu, a Public Historian is the employment of historians and the historical method outside of academia, such as in government, private corporations, the media, historical societies and museums, even in private practices. It is a particularly newer field that began in the 1970s and in my opinion, has grown …show more content…
tremendously since then.
Our task in recording and supporting popular culture is crucial. In my undergraduate career, and even more so in my graduate, I have learned the importance of having an open mind when studying history. This is for many reasons, not one in particular. I once heard that the textbooks student read were written by the winners for the losers. That was something that sunk in with me, still to this day, as I look at sources that lost creditability or accuracy because of who they were written by.
That is where the job of public historians comes in. We research content to find all angels and stories, then interpret the information to the public, keeping in mine what they need to know along with what we want them to get from the information. I used the Viking Exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center as an example of an exhibit that took a controversial topic and made it into the story of the life of a Viking. Instead of only saying how they killed people, they explained all the methods and why they do it. It looks into the beliefs and cultures of the people, rather than storytelling on the savagery that was the Vikings.
It is not our job to filter the content, but it is our job to find the information that is appropriate and necessary, not only to the mission statement of the site, but the information that will help the visitor make an educated assumption later on when the topic is brought up.
Although I may bot be a notable historian at this moment in my life, I make sure they information I spread is creditable or worthy of being shared. This goes for social media sites, stories, and more.
Whether what I share is political or for entertainment purposes, I make sure the site and the message is something that I am proud to have linked back to me. I try, try being the keyword, to read news that comes from non-biased news sources. This is not easy task, but also involves reading the same article written by different people to find one with the least amount of bias. I feel that this is my duty, as a public historian. I like to make sure the information I record and support is good for everyone to read, not just those that agree solely with
me.
Our role as arbitrators is to provide the public with the correct information. Not all opinions and views on history are legitimate. Think back to Hitler's time in power. If he were to provide Germany with a book about what happened during WWII, it would probably be a view that is more sympathetic to his side. Now, what if Joseph Stalin was asked to provide information about his time as the leader of the Soviet Union, would the United States agree? I wonder what my children will be reading in textbooks on day. How will the 9/11 terrorists attack be explained? Or the ISIS beheadings? Who is writing these textbooks and where are they getting the information.
My ultimate goal as a historian is to help provide the public with the best information. The best might not be the nicest or censored version, but it is the version that will allow the general public to know the truth. From there, their opinions are their own. If I can offer one person in my lifetime, information to made an educated guess regarding something in the past, I will have done my job right. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I hope on day I can be a factor to that, whether they agree or disagree with me.
To start off, what is a Public Historian and what do they do? According to History.UCSB.edu, a Public Historian is the employment of historians and the historical method outside of academia, such as in government, private corporations, the media, historical societies and museums, even in private practices. It is a particularly newer field that began in the 1970s and in my opinion, has grown …show more content…
tremendously since then.
Our task in recording and supporting popular culture is crucial. In my undergraduate career, and even more so in my graduate, I have learned the importance of having an open mind when studying history. This is for many reasons, not one in particular. I once heard that the textbooks student read were written by the winners for the losers. That was something that sunk in with me, still to this day, as I look at sources that lost creditability or accuracy because of who they were written by.
That is where the job of public historians comes in. We research content to find all angels and stories, then interpret the information to the public, keeping in mine what they need to know along with what we want them to get from the information. I used the Viking Exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center as an example of an exhibit that took a controversial topic and made it into the story of the life of a Viking. Instead of only saying how they killed people, they explained all the methods and why they do it. It looks into the beliefs and cultures of the people, rather than storytelling on the savagery that was the Vikings.
It is not our job to filter the content, but it is our job to find the information that is appropriate and necessary, not only to the mission statement of the site, but the information that will help the visitor make an educated assumption later on when the topic is brought up.
Although I may bot be a notable historian at this moment in my life, I make sure they information I spread is creditable or worthy of being shared. This goes for social media sites, stories, and more.
Whether what I share is political or for entertainment purposes, I make sure the site and the message is something that I am proud to have linked back to me. I try, try being the keyword, to read news that comes from non-biased news sources. This is not easy task, but also involves reading the same article written by different people to find one with the least amount of bias. I feel that this is my duty, as a public historian. I like to make sure the information I record and support is good for everyone to read, not just those that agree solely with
me.
Our role as arbitrators is to provide the public with the correct information. Not all opinions and views on history are legitimate. Think back to Hitler's time in power. If he were to provide Germany with a book about what happened during WWII, it would probably be a view that is more sympathetic to his side. Now, what if Joseph Stalin was asked to provide information about his time as the leader of the Soviet Union, would the United States agree? I wonder what my children will be reading in textbooks on day. How will the 9/11 terrorists attack be explained? Or the ISIS beheadings? Who is writing these textbooks and where are they getting the information.
My ultimate goal as a historian is to help provide the public with the best information. The best might not be the nicest or censored version, but it is the version that will allow the general public to know the truth. From there, their opinions are their own. If I can offer one person in my lifetime, information to made an educated guess regarding something in the past, I will have done my job right. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I hope on day I can be a factor to that, whether they agree or disagree with me.