History and the Public - Böcker

2020 Philip S. Klein Book Prize Winner, Pennsylvania Historical AssociationKnown as America’s most historic neighborhood, the Germantown section of Philadelphia (established in 1683) has distinguished itself by using public history initiatives to forge community. Progressive programs about ethnic history, postwar urban planning, and civil rights have helped make historic preservation and public history meaningful. The Battles of Germantown considers what these efforts can tell us about public history’s practice and purpose in the United States.  Author David Young, a neighborhood resident who worked at Germantown historic sites for decades, uses his practitioner’s perspective to give examples of what he calls “effective public history.” The Battles of Germantown shows how the region celebrated “Negro Achievement Week” in 1928 and, for example, how social history research proved that the neighborhood’s Johnson House was a station on the Underground Railroad. These encounters have useful implications for addressing questions of race, history, and memory, as well as issues of urban planning and economic revitalization. Germantown’s historic sites use public history and provide leadership to motivate residents in an area challenged by job loss, population change, and institutional inertia. The Battles of Germantown illustrates how understanding and engaging with the past can benefit communities today.

2020 Philip S. Klein Book Prize Winner, Pennsylvania Historical AssociationKnown as America’s most historic neighborhood, the Germantown section of Philadelphia (established in 1683) has distinguished itself by using public history initiatives to forge community. Progressive programs about ethnic history, postwar urban planning, and civil rights have helped make historic preservation and public history meaningful. The Battles of Germantown considers what these efforts can tell us about public history’s practice and purpose in the United States.  Author David Young, a neighborhood resident who worked at Germantown historic sites for decades, uses his practitioner’s perspective to give examples of what he calls “effective public history.” The Battles of Germantown shows how the region celebrated “Negro Achievement Week” in 1928 and, for example, how social history research proved that the neighborhood’s Johnson House was a station on the Underground Railroad. These encounters have useful implications for addressing questions of race, history, and memory, as well as issues of urban planning and economic revitalization. Germantown’s historic sites use public history and provide leadership to motivate residents in an area challenged by job loss, population change, and institutional inertia. The Battles of Germantown illustrates how understanding and engaging with the past can benefit communities today.

Colleges and universities in urban centers have often leveraged their locales to appeal to students while also taking a more active role in addressing local challenges. They embrace civic engagement, support service-learning, tailor courses to local needs, and even provide university-community collaborations such as lab schools and innovation hubs. Engaging Place, Engaging Practices highlights the significant role the academy, in general, and urban history, in particular, can play in fostering these critical connections.The editors and contributors to this volume address topics ranging from historical injustices and affordable housing and land use to climate change planning and the emergence of digital humanities. These case studies reveal the intricate components of a city’s history and how they provide context and promote a sense of cultural belonging.This timely book appreciates and emphasizes the critical role universities must play as intentional-and humble-partners in addressing the past, present, and future challenges facing cities through democratic community engagement.

Colleges and universities in urban centers have often leveraged their locales to appeal to students while also taking a more active role in addressing local challenges. They embrace civic engagement, support service-learning, tailor courses to local needs, and even provide university-community collaborations such as lab schools and innovation hubs. Engaging Place, Engaging Practices highlights the significant role the academy, in general, and urban history, in particular, can play in fostering these critical connections.The editors and contributors to this volume address topics ranging from historical injustices and affordable housing and land use to climate change planning and the emergence of digital humanities. These case studies reveal the intricate components of a city’s history and how they provide context and promote a sense of cultural belonging.This timely book appreciates and emphasizes the critical role universities must play as intentional-and humble-partners in addressing the past, present, and future challenges facing cities through democratic community engagement.

Salem, MA is best known today for its infamous witch trials in 1692, yet there is much more to this small city. An important trading center since its founding in 1626, Salem was also the scene of dynamic social and material changes in the twentieth century. Salem’s Centuries develops a more inclusive and comprehensive historical framework and expands upon the city’s signature eras of witch trials and maritime ascendancy.In advance of the city’s quadricentennial, the editors and contributors highlight the depth and diversity of Salem’s history, including stories of indigenous peoples, early settlers, African Americans, and immigrants, spanning from the American and industrial revolutions to World War II and the present. Chronologically arranged by century, chapters examine how Salem’s history has been lost or distorted in its public presentations over time.Salem’s Centuries is a fresh look at an old American city. And yes, it includes the accused witches.Contributors: Kimberly S. Alexander, Emerson W. Baker, Aviva Chomsky, Andrew Darien, Elizabeth Duclos-Orsello, Theresa Giard, Marilyn Hayward, Bethany Jay, Michele Louro, Elizabeth McKeigue, Robert W. McMicken, Dane A. Morrison, Maria Pride, J.D. Scrimgeour, Margo Shea, Hans Schwartz, Brian Valimont, Maryann Zujewski, and the editorsIn the series History and the Public

Salem, MA is best known today for its infamous witch trials in 1692, yet there is much more to this small city. An important trading center since its founding in 1626, Salem was also the scene of dynamic social and material changes in the twentieth century. Salem’s Centuries develops a more inclusive and comprehensive historical framework and expands upon the city’s signature eras of witch trials and maritime ascendancy.In advance of the city’s quadricentennial, the editors and contributors highlight the depth and diversity of Salem’s history, including stories of indigenous peoples, early settlers, African Americans, and immigrants, spanning from the American and industrial revolutions to World War II and the present. Chronologically arranged by century, chapters examine how Salem’s history has been lost or distorted in its public presentations over time.Salem’s Centuries is a fresh look at an old American city. And yes, it includes the accused witches.Contributors: Kimberly S. Alexander, Emerson W. Baker, Aviva Chomsky, Andrew Darien, Elizabeth Duclos-Orsello, Theresa Giard, Marilyn Hayward, Bethany Jay, Michele Louro, Elizabeth McKeigue, Robert W. McMicken, Dane A. Morrison, Maria Pride, J.D. Scrimgeour, Margo Shea, Hans Schwartz, Brian Valimont, Maryann Zujewski, and the editorsIn the series History and the Public

How have public history projects celebrated Arab American life and culture and countered anti-Arab bias and discrimination? The editor and contributors to Arab American Public History show how this vibrant community creates their own narratives through writing, blogging, curating, collaborating, and broadcasting. They also consider how the larger social and political contexts affect their work and offer self-reflection.Arab American Public History is an invitation to engage more deeply with Arab American communities. Chapters examine Arab Americans’ origins, ethnic identities, and efforts to belong in America through case studies of the community’s food cultures, genealogy research, cultural production, and neighborhood enclaves. The first formal study of Arab American public history, this exciting volume charts various ways Arab Americans have interpreted their past as a source of defiant humanity, cultural enfranchisement, social solidarity, and political power.Contributors: Reem Awad-Rashmawi, Chloe Bordewich, Richard M. Breaux, Maria F. Curtis, Lydia Harrington, Randa A. Kayyali, Matthew Jaber Stiffler, Rebecca K. Shrum, and the editorIn the series History and the Public