The latest issue of The Public Historian, "Time's Tables: Food in Public History" had a special focus on the interaction of food and public history. Reading the issue made me hungry and intrigued by the complexity of intertwining food into conceptions of the past.I particularly enjoyed Adam Steinberg's article "What We Talk About When We … Continue reading Food Memories and Public History
Personalizing Traditional History
Family, voice, sense of place, and time travel. According to Benjamin Filene, these are the core themes in history created by non professionals, all of which are driven by a personal and emotional approach to the past. Filene's recent Public Historian article, "Passionate Histories: 'Outsider' History-Makers and What They Teach Us," grapples with the development, … Continue reading Personalizing Traditional History
Chief Vann House: Conflicted Interpretation and Restoration
Tiya Miles article, "Showplace of the Cherokee Nation: Race and the Making of a Southern House Museum", that recently appeared in The Public Historian, volume 33, issue 4, presents an intriguing examination of the role racial perceptions can play in heritage interpretations. Miles' work focuses on the Chief Vann House State Historic Site in Georgia. … Continue reading Chief Vann House: Conflicted Interpretation and Restoration