Why Public History? Building a Round Table for the CISH Jinan World History Congress, August 2015

As permanent internal commission of the CISH-ICHS, the IFPH-FIHP is fostering the broadest possible international participation to the Call for Paper launched by the Comité International des Sciences Historiques – International Committee of Historical Sciences and especially for the round table on “Why Public History?”, organized by Arnita Jones (American Historical Association, USA, Secretary of the IFPH Steering Committee) together with Alix Green (University of Hertfordshire, UK, Member of the IFPH-FIHP) during the next 22nd world history congress that will take place in Jinan, China in August 2015.

The deadline for the call for discussants is November 30, 2013.

The full CFP is available as a PDF document on the CISH-ICHS website but is also fully reproduced here below.

XXIInd Comité International des Sciences Historiques 

(CISH-ICHS) Congress

Jinan, China 23 to 29 August 2015

Round Table n.9: Why Public History?

One of the major difficulties in exploring and explaining public history—and the role of public historians—is the on-going issue of definition. Definitions are shaped by context, and can display significant differences and tensions, both within national disciplinary communities and between them.

Writing in 1991, former World History Association president, Alfred J. Andrea, offered a breadth of scope in his definition that offers, at least, a point of departure. He sees public history as the application of ‘historical skills and perspectives in the services of a largely non-academic clientele,’ and of ‘the dimension of historical time in helping to meet the practical and intellectual needs of society at large’. His range of examples of public history take in public policy analysis, the understanding of cultural heritage, and helping a corporation ‘plan its future through an understanding of its past’.1

Yet it is easy to become overly pre-occupied with definition. The inevitable difficulties involved – and the reality that any outcome will be contested – can prevent further enquiry. We can ask what public historians do, and present the diversity of activities as a proxy for definition, but there is a need to be more intellectually ambitious. The paper that this roundtable will discuss will propose a different way to proceed. One powerful way to explore what public history is is to ask ‘why is public history as it is?’. This approach allows us to consider those important questions of context, to draw out the influences that have shaped public history fields in different contexts and to make comparisons that point to further development and dialogue.

This roundtable will therefore have a comparative dynamic. Taking a global perspective will undoubtedly reveal many differences in terms of public history’s concerns, priorities and self-conceptions. But we imagine we will identify far more things in common. The search of affinities – as the basis by which international conversations about public history can begin – is one of our central aims.

We do not anticipate or prescribe the topics or questions respondents will want to focus on. Rather, we suggest here a number of purposes to which history can be put in public as a way to start the thinking process.

The purpose of a distinctive form of knowledge will affect how people should be prepared for practice. What are the requirements of a public history education and how might those be captured in qualifications? The term ‘public’ conceals a whole array of constituencies with different, sometimes conflicting, perspectives and interests. What might determine their relative prominence and how might we understand and mediate between groups? The legitimacy of collaboration with certain groups, for example policymakers or marginalized constituencies such as offenders, is an area for consideration. For every purpose, a set of responsibilities is entailed: how can public historians respond to and manage these obligations?

Commentators are not limited to these areas of enquiry; we welcome consideration of any aspect of public history that responds to the paper with the broad aims of the roundtable in mind.

Alix Green
a.r.green [at] herts.ac.uk
Lecturer in History and Policy University of Hertfordshire

Arnita Jones
arnitajones [at] gmail.com
Executive Director Emerita, American Historical Association

(1) Andrea, ‘On public history’, Historian 53 (1991) p. 381.

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Les propositions ne doivent pas dépasser 2.500 signes et doivent être envoyées avec une courte biographie, simultanément aux organisateurs (Alix Green et Arnita Jones) et au secrétaire général du CISH Robert Frank : sgcish1@gmail.com au plus tard le 30 novembre 2013

Proposals should be a maximum of 2.500 characters – 350 words and should be sent with a short biographical note to the organizers (Alix Green and Arnita Jones) and to the Secretary General Robert Frank : sgcish1@gmail.com. by the 30th November 2013.

Call for Papers: “Memoria e Ricerca”. Twentieth Anniversary

Massimo Baioni, Serge Noiret, Alexander Geppert, EUI, Spring 2004

In 2004 was organized in Sala Triaria, Villa Schifanoia at the EUI in Florence, a workshop coordinated by Peter Becker and Heinz-Gerhard Haupt to celebrate the first ten years anniversary (2003) of the Italian academic journal Memoria e Ricerca. A special issue of MR edited by Alexander C. T. Geppert and Massimo Baioni on “Esposizioni in Europa fra Otto e Novecento. Spazi, organizzazione, rappresentazioni”  was presented and discussed during a half-day workshop.

Memoria e Ricerca published many EUI History researchers, fellows and professors contributions translated into Italian during these twenty years as you can see here. MR remains today a contemporary history journal that hosts essays and reflections from the EUI History Department members and Alumni, and allow EUI researchers to support the editorial board in translating from other European languages into Italian all the essays that we receive and are approved both by the editorial board and our blind external referees.

Memoria e Ricerca (Franco Angeli Editore, Milano) is a leading Italian contemporary history journal that always offered comparative European studies and which is ranked by the Italian academic authorities as a first class journal (area A) that follows all international criteria’s required by agencies like ISI in the USA and the ESF in Europe.

For the twentieth anniversary we have issued the following Call for Paper to collect essays connected to the area’s/themes developed by the journal during the last twenty years, included, the one that I personally tried to develop starting 1998, with the rubric “Spazi Online”: Digital History and a critical reflection about the presence of History in the web.

So I would like to encourage your participation to the Call and, when the special issue will be published at the end of 2013, to a public presentation and celebration that will be announced in due time.

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Call for Papers

“Memoria e Ricerca”. Twentieth Anniversary

The journal «Memoria e Ricerca» will celebrate its twentieth anniversary with a special issue (n. 44, 2013) entirely dedicated to innovative essays by young scholars of contemporary history. The papers should be dedicated to one of the areas and/or themes of research frequently discussed in the journal, regarding social, political, economic or cultural history of the 19th and 20th centuries. See “Memoria e Ricerca”’s tables of contents under:

http://www.francoangeli.it/riviste/sommario.asp?IDRivista=104

http://www.memoriaericerca.it

The review’s Editorial Board will operate a pre-selection on the basis of abstracts (5.000 characters maximum size plus a brief CV) which should be sent in before 15 January 2013. The deadline for the definite essay proposals of those who pass the pre-selection will be 31 May 2013. The definite proposals should be no more than 50-60.000 characters (foot- or endnotes included). They will be submitted to the usual blind referee procedure of «Memoria e Ricerca».

The proposal should be delivered by email (ref: “Memoria e Ricerca. 20 anni”) to:

biboriani@sbn.provincia.ra.it

The special issue of MR will be the subject of a public presentation taking place at the end of 2013.

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Call for Papers

«Memoria e Ricerca». Vent’anni dopo

La rivista «Memoria e Ricerca» ha deciso di festeggiare i suoi primi vent'anni di pubblicazione con l'allestimento di un numero speciale, il 44 (2013), interamente riservato a contributi innovativi di giovani studiosi della storia contemporanea. Gli articoli proposti dovranno avere per oggetto alcune delle aree e/o tematiche di storia sociale, politica, economica e culturale dei secoli XIX e XX, di cui la rivista si è occupata più frequentemente. Gli indici di “Memoria e Ricerca” sono consultabili nei seguenti siti:

http://www.francoangeli.it/riviste/sommario.asp?IDRivista=104

http://www.memoriaericerca.it

Il Comitato di Direzione vaglierà le proposte sulla base degli abstracts (di non più di 5.000 caratteri, accompagnati da un breve curriculum) che dovranno pervenire entro il 15 gennaio 2013. I testi definitivi dei candidati selezionati, con un'estensione variabile tra 50.000 e 60.000 caratteri (spazi inclusi), dovranno essere consegnati entro il 31 maggio 2013.

Saranno poi sottoposti alla consueta procedura di revisione da parte di referees esterni alla rivista.

Le proposte devono essere inviate alla Fondazione Casa di Oriani, al seguente indirizzo email (indicando come oggetto “Memoria e Ricerca. 20 anni”):

biboriani@sbn.provincia.ra.it

Il numero speciale di «Memoria e Ricerca» verrà presentato in una iniziativa pubblica che avrà luogo alla fine del 2013.

DIREZIONE E REDAZIONE

FONDAZIONE CASA DI ORIANI, VIA C. RICCI 26, 48121 RAVENNA

E-mail: biboriani@sbn.provincia.ra.it http://www.memoriaericerca.it

FrancoAngeli editore

Partecipare alla conferenza di Ottawa di Public History, lettera alla lista "s-fotografie"

NCPH 2013 Annual Meeting Otawa, Call for Proposals

Come forse avrete saputo, la SISF, Società Italiana per lo Studio della Fotografia, nella sua ultima riunione del Consiglio Direttivo di Aprile 2012, ha votato l’adesione alla neonata IFPH-FIHP, la International Federation for Public History- Fédération Internationale pour l’Histoire Publique, commissione interna del Comité International des Sciences Historiques dal 2010. La IFPH è nata nelle riunioni annuali della National Coalition for Public History (NCPH) negli USA questi ultimi anni.

Vorrei caldeggiare qui la partecipazione dei soci della SISF, della SISF stessa in quanto associazione, e dei singoli individui oltre ovviamente le istituzioni culturali interessate e presenti nella lista s-fotografie, alla conferenza annuale di Ottawa della NCPH, 17-20 aprile 2013.

I Public Historians americani si ritroveranno per la prima volta all’estero, in Canada, e propongono di offrire un quadro maggiormente “internazionale” per la definizione del loro programma di lavoro. La neonata Federazione Internazionale (IFPH-FIHP) tenta di favorire questo sviluppo verso un internazionalizzazione della Public History che, in Italia, si pratica da anni -e sotto varie forme- e senza mai nominarla con il suo nome. (*)

L’attività degli storici della fotografia, di chi conserva e valorizza questo bene culturale, questo media, nelle comunità che lo circondano è parte integrante del lavoro dei public historians ed è il tema che aggregherà le tematiche della conferenza annuale del 2013: Knowing your Public(s)—The Significance of Audiences in Public History. 

Incoraggerei dunque a riflettere **in modo comparato** con altre realtà nazionali europee e nordamericane, attorno alla possibilità di proporre tematiche per la conferenza di Ottawa che possano valorizzare le numerose attività delle istituzioni culturali italiane che lavorano attorno alla fotografia storica come bene pubblicamente diffuso; la comunicazione delle fotografie storiche sotto varie forme, verso diversi pubblici e per favorire, riflettere su, appoggiare una riflessione storica: mostre, musei, archivi, biblioteche, associazioni culturali, storici della fotografia, ecc., sono tutti potenzialmente coinvolti. 

Attenzione, queste mie indicazioni sono estremamente limitative. Le possibilità tematiche descritte più sotto sono molto maggiori e le proposte riguardando certamente l’attività professionale stessa di chi fa “public history” in tutte le sue diverse sfaccettature,

Un panel “classico” delle conferenze della NCPH si compone di massimo 5 o 6 partecipanti oltre il suo coordinatore. Tenuto conto che la durata massima -con la discussione- è di un ora e mezza vuol dire tra le 10 e le 15 minuti a testa. Certamente 3 o 4 casi possono anche essere proposti. Alla fine di questo email trovate tutte le indicazioni necessarie per partecipare ricordandovi che la scadenza è il 15 luglio 2012 e che “costruire” un panel internazionale, con partners europei e nordamericani richiede tempo.

L’informazione si trova sul sito della NCPH qui: http://ncph.org/cms/conferences/2013-annual-meeting/

Il CFP si trova qui: http://ncph.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2013-Program-Committee-CFP.pdf

Serge Noiret

Chair

IFPH-FIHP

(*) Rinvio per queste considerazioni al numero monografico "Public History. Pratiche nazionali e identità globale", Memoria e Ricerca, 37, Maggio-Agosto 2011.

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“Knowing your Public(s)—The Significance of Audiences in Public History”

2013 Annual Meeting, National Council on Public History Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, April 17-20, 2013

In 2013 the National Council on Public History will meet at the Delta Ottawa City Centre, in the heart of downtown Ottawa, Canada, with Canada’s Parliament buildings, historic ByWard market, national museums and historic sites, river trails, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Rideau Canal, and numerous cafes and restaurants within easy walking distance. The program committee invites panel, roundtable, workshop, working group, and individual paper proposals for the conference. The Call for Poster sessions will be issued in fall 2012.

As Canada’s capital, Ottawa is the national centre of the museum, archival and heritage community, and its historical and cultural attractions draw 5 million national and international tourists annually. Ottawa’s two universities have strong connections to public and applied history. The federal government employs many history practitioners and creates a market for private consultants. With so many diverse fields of Public History theory and practice represented, Ottawa is an ideal place to consider issues and ideas associated with the theme of “Knowing your Public(s)—The Significance of Audiences in Public History.”

These could include:

• the changing nature of the public and the evolution of the discipline over the last forty years; • how the public and Public Historians influence each other in the production of history; • the effects of changing approaches to public participation, reciprocity, and authority on Public History theory and practice; • the impact of digital media on expanding or excluding public engagement; • generational differences including Public History for the millennial generation; • intersections between Public History practised at universities and in the broader community; • issues related to working with ‘closed’ audiences in fields such as litigation, or government-directed, research; • accessing and use of grey literature • the increasing need for audience relevance in times of economic recession; • and diverse cultural and multi-national approaches to commemorating events such as the bi-centennial of the War of 1812 or the 60th anniversary of the armistice of the Korean War.

We welcome submissions from all areas of the field, including teaching, museums, archives, heritage management, tourism, consulting, litigation-based research, and public service. Proposals may address any area of Public History, but we especially welcome submissions which relate to our theme. Case studies should evoke broader questions about practice in the field. The program committee prefers complete session proposals but will endeavor to construct sessions from proposals for individual presentations. Sessions are 1.5 hours (working groups may be longer); significant time for audience discussion should be included in every session. The committee encourages a wide variety of forms of conversation, such as working groups, roundtables, panel sessions, and professional development workshops, and urges participants to dispense with the reading of papers. Participants may be members of only one panel, but may also engage in working groups, introducing sessions and leading discussions.

Proposals are due by July 15, 2012.

For further links to details for submitting your proposal, past NCPH conference programs, and the French version of this CFP, see the "History@Work" posting:

http://publichistorycommons.org/as-the-dust-settles-next-years-cfp/

All presenters and other participants are expected to register for the annual meeting. If you have questions, please contact the program committee co-chairs or the NCPH program director, Carrie Dowdy (dowdyc@iupui.edu).

Program Committee

Michelle Hamilton, University of Western Ontario Jean-Pierre Morrin, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada

Local Resource Committee

Anna Adamek, Canada Science and Technology Museum Sharon Babaian, Canada Science and Technology Museum