Public Historian
Encyclopedia
There are two categories of public historians. The first, and most widely understood definition of a public historian is a practitioner of public history
. This definition holds that public historians are generally regarded as those people who create history for public consumption; history as digested outside of the academy
. Their work can take place in various locations and formats, including museums, historic sites, archives, films, and books.
Generally speaking, then, the difference between a historian
and a public historian pertains to audience
. In the first case, public historians aim to educate and engage the public
through history; historians, on the other hand, generally speak to an academic audience, and not the general public. Public history
has received a boost in popularity over the past thirty years, which has resulted in the development of the second form of public history practice.
This second definition of public historians has to do with those historians who, within the academy
, study the public
consumption of history
.
In addition, professional historians giving objective expert evidence before courts and tribunals may also be considered as "public historians".
Public history
Public history is a term that describes the broad range of activities undertaken by people with some training in the discipline of history who are generally working outside of specialized academic settings. Public history practice has quite deep roots in the areas of historic preservation,...
. This definition holds that public historians are generally regarded as those people who create history for public consumption; history as digested outside of the academy
Academy
An academy is an institution of higher learning, research, or honorary membership.The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 385 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and skill, north of Athens, Greece. In the western world academia is the...
. Their work can take place in various locations and formats, including museums, historic sites, archives, films, and books.
Generally speaking, then, the difference between a historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and a public historian pertains to audience
Audience
An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature , theatre, music or academics in any medium...
. In the first case, public historians aim to educate and engage the public
Public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
through history; historians, on the other hand, generally speak to an academic audience, and not the general public. Public history
Public history
Public history is a term that describes the broad range of activities undertaken by people with some training in the discipline of history who are generally working outside of specialized academic settings. Public history practice has quite deep roots in the areas of historic preservation,...
has received a boost in popularity over the past thirty years, which has resulted in the development of the second form of public history practice.
This second definition of public historians has to do with those historians who, within the academy
Academy
An academy is an institution of higher learning, research, or honorary membership.The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 385 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and skill, north of Athens, Greece. In the western world academia is the...
, study the public
Public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
consumption of history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
.
In addition, professional historians giving objective expert evidence before courts and tribunals may also be considered as "public historians".
External links
- There is a publication dedicated to this theme, Public Historian -- a review of the index at
- There is also a "public historian website" at
- The Canadian Historical Society also has an informative article on the field of public history at