Review: Radical Roots: Public History and a Tradition of Social Justice Activism, edited by Denise D. Meringolo

Abstract

Since the term public history entered our vocabulary, discussions about its origins, evolution, and influence have been vigorous. Those involved in public history as well as its critics often suggested that it was not new, but rather reimagined training for museums, archives, and other related fields, or complained that too much emphasis was directed toward its academic development and not enough attention was paid to its role in the world. Radical Roots: Public History and a Tradition of Social Justice Activism continues this discussion with an emphasis on initiatives that make history work in the world through the lens of social activism and justice. Even if not specifically articulated in a way that stresses how historical insights impact our understanding of the world around us, the selections in this volume explore agency and the role of the past in confronting contemporary or seemingly timeless issues. The editor and authors, drawn from the academy as well as from those who work in a variety of public history venues, set out to increase our knowledge of public history in the cause of social action and foster the development of best practices for using history to promote justice.A particular pleasure of this volume for me is the sense of being transported to the early 1980s and my preparation for teaching an introductory museums course in the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s new public history program. My museum experience, which included being curator for the Ohio Labor History Project, and my participation in oral history workshops which offered training for women workers to capture the stories of earlier generations and use the insights generated to enhance their agency in the workplace, certainly provided a background in the practice of public history. However, planning a curriculum and gaining sufficient background to discuss issues of importance in thinking about collecting and presenting information about the past to the public proved challenging. I drew on my knowledge of and experience with community organizing and the Highlander Folk School’s approach to engagement, nicely explored in Judith Jennings article in this collection, to think about inequality and fostering change through using history in community settings. When developing my first museums course, Arthur Parker’s A Manual for History Museums strengthened an understanding of the tie between knowledge and action as well as suggested its limitations. Early articles about the fledging Anacostia Museum suggested ways to engage students in conversations about the role of museums in society.Radical Roots grows out of both targeted and wide-ranging discussions at various professional meetings and among interested parties in less formal venues. This volume includes a wealth of information through its explorations of topics about groups and material, such as Highlander and Parker, receiving less attention today and, as a result, provide their introduction to a new audience. Articles by Anne M. Valk and David R. Kerr remind readers of the multiple ways we use oral history as process, as well as data, and the unexpected insights and impacts it can provide in terms of community formation or public engagement. Selections such as those by Michèle Gates Moresi and Rebecca Amato ask us to think about how change over time has impacted the tension between innovation and community involvement and growth and perspective. Taken all together, the articles in this volume highlight the persistent threads of justice work that has characterized the multifaceted history of public history as well as the challenges faced in doing that work.One goal of this volume is to explore the ways educational institutions incorporate social justice sensibilities into the curriculum. During the 1980s, individuals establishing programs faced the challenge of creating a new curricular structure—now taken for granted—in departments not used to tying theory and praxis in the ways demanded by public history education. One measure of the established nature of the field today in terms of curriculum, not faculty evaluation (departments still grapple with how to assess public history work in tenure and promotion discussions), is its creativity and willingness to push the boundaries of collaboration and engagement. The book’s section on public history education explores activities taken before the advent of formal public history training exposing, as the authors hope, roots to nourish as well as suggestions for new initiatives. Elizabeth Belanger offers a great discussion on the role of art and arts organizations in affective learning and the opportunity to create borderlands that offer spaces to tell stories and reflect on topics that can take folks out of their comfort zones. At the same time, she offers suggestions for how to navigate collaboration with community groups. The edited conversation, “Radical is a Process,” is an insightful discussion of projects, students, community collaborators, and university institutional structures.Making the past—and the sensibilities and dispositions of history training—work in the world is my take on the meaning of public history. The publics can certainly vary, from archivists at Chiquita Banana who have a singular public to those integrating social work techniques into museums to community engagement in its many forms. As with any edited volume, this one containing twenty-one entries plus an introduction and conclusion, the strength of the entries varies. Nonetheless, this volume highlights the wide range of influences that have and continue to shape the world of public history and the importance of justice and equity in much of the work we do. The personal nature of some essays also provides role models for other practitioners grappling with the challenges and opportunities to make a difference.