Public History for a Post-Truth Era
Fighting Denial through Memory Movements
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
Published:25th Jul '22
Should be back in stock very soon
This hardback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£36.99(9781032029214)
Public History for a Post-Truth Era explores how to combat historical denial when faith in facts is at an all-time low. Moving beyond memorial museums or documentaries, the book shares on-the-ground stories of participatory public memory movements that brought people together to grapple with the deep roots and current truths of human rights abuses. It gives an inside look at "Sites of Conscience" around the world, and the memory activists unearthing their hidden histories, from the Soviet Gulag to the slave trade in Senegal. It then follows hundreds of people joining forces across dozens of US cities to fight denial of Guantánamo, mass incarceration, and climate change.
As reparations proposals proliferate in the US, the book is a resource for anyone seeking to confront historical injustices and redress their harms. Written in accessible, non-academic language, it will appeal to students, educators, or supportive citizens interested in public history, museums, or movement organizing.
The denial of substantiated realities of the past is examined in Liz Ševčenko’s incisive contribution, which explores questions of truth, consensus, and power in public histories from several critical perspectives. Written in an accessible and clear style, it is punctuated by personal reflections and offers a lucid treatment of the subject. This breadth and depth make it a valuable addition to literature on this vital topic.
Florence Evans, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, in Museums & Social Issues
"Well written and richly detailed, Public History for a Post-Truth Era is a worthy addition to Routledge’s Global Perspectives in Public History series...Public historians and their students will find this book most useful as a behind-the-scenes guide, and historians of all types will appreciate the stimulating questions Ševčenko raises—sometimes intentionally, sometimes not—about facts, truth, historical method, and expertise."
Meredith H. Lair, George Mason University, in The Public Historian, Volume 46, Number 2, May 2024, pp. 172-174
ISBN: 9781032029221
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 520g
304 pages