Telling Histories of Radicalism in Less-Than Radical Places

Devin Hunter, Assistant Professor of US and Public History, University of Illinois Springfield

Proposal Type

Roundtable

Seeking

Seeking Additional Presenters
Seeking Specific Expertise
General Feedback and Interest

Abstract

This round table will discuss general practices and case studies regarding the interpretation of radical history in places that are today less-than radical. How do public historians approach commun ity engagement if their historical topic relates to radicalism, yet their c ontemporary setting hosts populations that are suspicious of political or c ultural perspectives outside of the mainstream?

Seeking

Two participants are committed to the round table at this time. Devin Hunter, University of Illinois Springfield, will con tribute insights about developing the Mother Jones Museum in Mt Olive, Illinois. Jones was a self-described anti-capitalistic revolutionary and union organizer of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century, whose opponents once labeled “the most dangerous woman in America.” She is buried in Mt Olive, a town of about 2,000 between St Louis, Missouri, and Springfield, Illinois. The Mother Jones Museum Foundation is in the midst of fundraising for a permanent exhibit space in the town. Its mission includes connecting Jones’ radical life and legacy to contemporary issues. Stella Ress, University of Southern Indiana, brings to the round table a perspective on the interpretation of Robert Owen’s early-nineteenth-century quasi-socialist and utopian experiment in communal living at New Harmony, Indiana. New Harmony has a long and evolving history of interpreting Owen’s vision and other layers of history of the site. Neither central Illinois nor southern Indiana are currently considered hotbeds of political or cultural radicalism, yet these places hosted historical events that were as revolutionary as anywhere in the country.

We seek feedback and interested participants that will expand the geographi c and chronological scope of the round table. Socialists in the Heartland, militants in the South, slave rebellions in the Atlantic Sun Belt…if you can share your thoughts about these types of histories in these types of pl aces, then we hope to hear from you.

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: Devin Hunter

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, 2016.

COMMENTS HAVE CLOSED. PLEASE EMAIL THE PROPOSER DIRECTLY WITH ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR OFFERS TO COLLABORATE.

Discussion

2 comments

Daniel Walkowitz says:

June 6, 2016 at 2:29 pm

Devin,

I have finished drafting a new book, The Lost World of Jewish Scoialism: A Tourist Guide. I visit 11 cities in 8 countries to see if I can hear stories of my paternal grandmother, a secular socialist Jew, in heritage torus (walking tours, museums, monument sites). I visit Lodz, Kraków, Warsaw, Lviv, Kviv, Berlin, Bucharest, Budapest, Belgrade, London and New York. I could discuss and summarize the challenges. It would certainly give you an international dimension.
1. Devin Hunter says:
  
  June 16, 2016 at 11:34 am
  
  Your work sounds like a perfect fit, Daniel. I’ll send you an email. Thanks for replying to the pre-proposal, and feel free to promote the request for panelists.