Ashley Whitehead Luskey, Adjunct Professor of Public History; Independent Historical Consultant, West Virginia University
Proposal Type: Working Group
Seeking: Additional Presenters, Specific Expertise,General Feedback and Interest
Abstract: This working group will discuss how we might channel our collective frustrations, as historians and public historians, over the national devaluing of history into productive action to stop future budget and staffing cuts, to educate policymakers and the public about the value of history, and to promote historic sites, museums, and classrooms as democratic spaces for necessary civic dialogue about both the past and the present.
Seeking: In the past several years, historic sites and history departments at all levels of education have suffered crippling budget and staffing cuts as part of a larger assault on the humanities. Deemed archaic, irrelevant, and not useful in today’s technologically focused society, education and employment in the field of history have assumed a back seat to STEM education and employment. Meanwhile, administrators and policymakers looking to ease the financial burdens on their institutions and communities continue to slash the budgets of museums, historic sites, and university history departments in favor of more “useful” programs. However, never has our nation been more in need of the knowledge and skill set conveyed by both in-classroom and on-site history education than now: Divisive politics, an inability to engage in civil and thoughtful dialogue across ideological lines, lack of critical thinking, short-sighted and rash decision-making, and a general lack of histo rical awareness, contextualization, and long-range perspective plague our society.
Policymakers’ and the public’s fundamental lack of understanding about the profession of history has only further contributed to the unpopularity of funding the humanities. Additionally, many non-historians fail to grasp the immense value of history in contemporary society: An understanding of the past, critical thinking skills, the facility to analyze conflicting evidence, the ability to engage in civil debate and dialogue, a proficiency in identifying contextualizing patterns while also accounting for contingency, and the cerebrally and emotionally humanizing elements that allow us to understand our own selves, our relationships, and our world in the present. Such failures in understanding have only contributed to the perpetuation of our societal challenges and fissures.
This working group will discuss how we might channel our collective frustrations, as historians and public historians, over the national devaluing of history into productive action to stop future budget and staffing cuts, to educate policymakers and the public about the value of history, and to promote historic sites, museums, and classrooms as democratic spaces for necessary civic dialogue about both the past and the present. The working group is seeking public historians, academic historians, historic site and university administrators, and policymakers to generate conversations, both prior to the conference and with session audience members, about how to address the challenges confronting our profession in a positive and productive manner. Ultimately, the working group will produce a written document outlining a reasonable and practical, long-range plan for how to promote history, museums, and historic sites across academia, the American public, and in the po litical arena; to create generative dialogue between these disparate entities; and to forge stronger working relationships amongst the three, whether through lobbying, new social media, the use of “history emissaries,” literature, or other means.
If you have a direct offer of assistance, sensitive criticism, or wish to share contact information for other people the proposer should reach out to, please get in contact directly: Ashley Whitehead Luskey,ashleybelle17[at]gmail.com
If you have general ideas or feedback to share please feel free to use the comments feature below.
All feedback, and offers of assistance, should be submitted by July 3, 2015.
Related Topics: Civic Engagement, Museums/Exhibits
Hi Ashley,
A fantastic idea, and incredibly apropo being in Washington. You might think about contacting Lee White who is the Executive Director of the National Coalition for History: http://historycoalition.org/. They are doing fantastic work including the creation of a History Caucus in Congress. It would be really neat if you could get the Head of the Caucus to come speak (maybe even hold a reception??).
-Mattea