Why is Public history politcally charged?
The Politics of Public History: Balancing Activism, Objectivity, and Ethics
Public history is inherently political, as it involves interpreting, preserving, and presenting the past in ways that reflect contemporary values and power structures. Historians working in public history must grapple with the tension between political engagement and the expectation of professional objectivity. However, as Fath Davis Ruffins, Jeff Hayward, Christine Larouche, Lara Kelland, M. M. Schlehofer, K. Wagner, E. Bramande, Brian Murphy, and Katie Owens-Murphy argue, public historians can engage in political activism while adhering to ethical principles, especially when addressing marginalized histories and confronting contemporary social issues.
Politics as an Inescapable Force in Public History
Fath Davis Ruffins, in “Building Homes for Black History: Museum Founders, Founding Directors, and Pioneers, 1915–95,” demonstrates how Black museum founders intentionally shaped public history to counter the erasure of African American experiences. By creating institutions dedicated to Black history, such as the DuSable Museum of African American History and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, they engaged in political activism through historical preservation. Ruffins’ work illustrates that public history often emerges as a direct response to political and social injustice, making activism an inherent part of the field.
Jeff Hayward and Christine Larouche, in “The Emergence of the Field of African American Museums,” further highlight the political motivations behind Black museums. These institutions were not only sites of historical preservation but also hubs of resistance, advocacy, and community empowerment. Their analysis reveals that public historians working in these spaces frequently blended activism with historical interpretation, challenging the notion that political engagement undermines professional integrity.
Activism and Objectivity: Striking a Balance
Lara Kelland’s “Unintentional Public Historians: Collective Memory and Identity Production in the American Indian and LGBTQ Liberation Movements” explores how grassroots activists have inadvertently become public historians. By creating archives and preserving oral histories, these movements have shaped public memory and identity politics. Kelland argues that such activist-driven public history projects demonstrate that objectivity does not require neutrality but rather a commitment to accuracy, inclusivity, and transparency.
Similarly, M. M. Schlehofer, K. Wagner, and E. Bramande’s study, “Things Will Get Worse Before They Get Better,” explores how the 2020 U.S. presidential election influenced LGBTQ+ public history projects. Their research reveals how the political climate intensified efforts to document and preserve LGBTQ+ narratives, recognizing that activism and public history often intersect during periods of social and political tension. This demonstrates that public historians can ethically engage in activism by documenting the struggles of marginalized groups without compromising accuracy.
Confronting White Rage: The Ethical Imperative of Political Engagement
Brian Murphy and Katie Owens-Murphy, in “Public History in the Age of Insurrection: Confronting White Rage in Red States,” argue that public historians have an ethical responsibility to address contemporary political realities. They examine how public historians in conservative regions face challenges when confronting issues of race, racism, and insurrection. Their work underscores that avoiding political engagement can itself be a political act—one that risks enabling historical distortion and injustice.
The Appropriate Level of Political Engagement
While public historians cannot avoid politics, they must engage responsibly by adhering to ethical standards. This means being transparent about their perspectives, prioritizing accuracy, and fostering inclusive narratives. As the authors collectively demonstrate, political activism in public history can be ethical and professional when it seeks to amplify marginalized voices, challenge historical inaccuracies, and promote critical engagement with the past. Avoiding activism in the face of injustice may compromise the field’s ethical obligations.
Ultimately, public history is not a neutral endeavor. It is shaped by power, identity, and politics. By embracing a nuanced and ethical form of political engagement, public historians can remain professionally objective while advancing a more just and representative historical record.