Public History in the Age of Insurrection

Murphy and Owens-Murphy argue that public historians must take a firm, values-based stance in response to white supremacy and political violence, especially after the January 6th Capitol insurrection. They introduce 2 frameworks for doing this: Action Research and Restorative Justice. They critiqued the idea of “neutral” history, emphasizing that public historians have a moral responsibility to confront white rage, disinformation, and the weaponization of historical memory (like Confederate monuments). They propose refusing engagement with “counter-communities” who reject truth in favor of racist ideologies. “Public humanities practitioners have urgent moral and intellectual obligations in this age of insurrection.” (p.141).