Work

"I'm a secretary, but I probably make more money than most of you." The woman who said this, who left the room before I could get to talk to her, encapsulated a central point of the working group she had attended, "Public History as Work." Organized by Cathy Stanton and Amy Tyson, this group's purpose was to analyze public history as work and public historians as laborers contending with insecure working conditions that may be more like adjunct professors, contract workers, or fast food workers, than traditional white collar professions that require similar amounts of education. Yet the woman quoted above offered her observation as someone working towards becoming a public historian, even though this may be an example of downward mobility for her, at least in terms of economics. What our lively discussion demonstrated in part was the ways in which work and class in this postindustrial economy cannot be understood without thinking in cultural terms. Are public historians compensated in prestige? Does our cultural capital lead to social capital that may result in a more secure life than, say, a secretary? And, an issue that was raised again and again, what kinds of authority do public historians have among academic historians, the public and historical institutions in the knowledge economy?

Conversations on Public History in North America & the U.K.

As the organizer of last year's international public history conference convened by the Institute of Historical Research and the University and National Museums of Liverpool, to which distinguished NCPH veterans made such crucial contributions, and as a new member of the Editorial Board of TPH, I’m much looking forward to my first NCPH conference. I’ve spent the past three months consulting among public historians, professional organizations, ‘heritage’ bodies, and funding agencies in the UK about the state of public history in the British Isles in general, and Anglo-American dialogue and collaboration in particular.  At Providence, I’ll be discussing related issues with NCPH officers and members.  I’m experimenting with this blog in the hope that I might hear from anyone with past or current experience of Anglo-American collaborations in public history, or ideas for potential future exchanges or cooperation. I can be reached at hhoock@liv.ac.uk  and also hope to meet colleagues and graduate students who'd like to share experiences and ideas.