Politics, Populism, and Professionalism: Reflections on the Role of the Academic Historian in the Production of Public History

Abstract

This article explores some of the challenges and opportunities facing academic historians involved in large British public history projects and examines how government priorities and the particular ways in which public funds are deployed can affect the critical intellectual content of such projects. To this end it first broadly outlines the context in which British public history has recently developed and then focuses on my own experiences as leader of a British public history project on 1001 years of ethnic minorities in Bristol, England, which was sponsored by the “England's Past for Everyone” initiative.

Public History, Civic Engagement and the Historical Profession in Britain

“…A bewildering variety of criteria is on offer. Public history variously appears as both entertainment and instruction; it covers both the written word (preferably in very large sales) and the visual presentation of heritage sites; it attracts public funding, but also harnesses volunteers in large numbers; it is defined by its audience as well as its content; it is sometimes dismissed as irredeemably populist, sometimes as a new form of elitism. Above all, the term ‘public historian’ is highly ambiguous: it is variously taken to denote an academic involved in outreach, or a qualified historian employed in the public sector, or an amateur enthusiast.…”

‘Envisioning the Past: Art, Historiography and Public History’

“…As Madge Dresser argues, without rigorous academic scholarship, 'public history projects will ultimately betray rather than benefit the public they purport to serve'. 76 Dresser's experiences led her to worry that the publications arising from a HLF-funded project would be dumbing down. 77 I shared that concern to some extent, wanting to be certain that the historical research about Bank Street was as accurate and complete as possible.…”