What IS public history?

“This then is ‘history’: a true story of something that happened long ago, retold in the present. The past is brought to life once more, and the unequal contact between then and now has been re-established.”

—John H. Arnold[1]

Whenever anyone asks me "what is public history?" (which happens fairly frequently and usually follows the question "what are you studying?"), I’ve never been fully happy with my definition. So, I thought I’d begin my blog with an exploration into what public history really means.

The above quote from Arnold is one of my favourite definitions of history that I have come across. For me, one of the main draws to the study of history is the endless potential for narrative. In fact, I first became interested in history as a child, making friends with local librarians and reading all things historical fiction. I could usually be found with my nose in a book, and series like Dear Canada, The Magic Treehouse, and Little House on the Prairie were always a chance to press pause on my daily activities and dive into an adventure in the past. This idea of narrative, inherently present in history, allows the audience to enter into a story that is not our own. To become part of another time, another culture, another way of doing things. To find a new perspective on life that can shape both our opinions of the past and our understanding of the present. Simply put, I like how learning about history pushes me outside of my own experiences and allows me to step into someone else’s shoes.

But what is public history? One way of describing it is “history for the public, about the public, and by the public.”[2] In other words, it is history that is centred around the public experience.

According to Thomas Cauvin, an associate professor of public history at the University of Luxembourg, public history consists of three aspects:

· the communication of history to non-academic audiences,

· public participation, and

· the application of historical methodology to present-day issues[3]

One of the public history projects I have worked on was during the 2022 Canada Summer Games, hosted in Niagara. At the time I was working for Brock University’s Sport Oral History Archive (SOHA) and one of the initiatives that I was involved in was called “Athletes Corner.” The purpose was to engage with the athletes, involving them in the process of “making history.” Each athlete was asked to describe what the Canada Games meant to them and their responses were recorded for the SOHA website. Although many of the youth participated in these mini-interviews, we found that volunteers—those who make the Canada Games possible—also wanted to share their perspectives and thoughts on the Canada Games, and so “Volunteers Corner” was quickly created. It was clear that many of those who participated were genuinely excited to be sharing their stories with us and it was a privilege to listen to the challenges and successes that athletes and volunteers experienced.

These interactions with the community helped me to see even more clearly the importance of public involvement in history as I helped facilitate this history that was for, about, and by the public. I've only made a start at answering the question "what is public history?" but I'm looking forward to continuing this exploration of defining, and more importantly, practicing public history.

[1] John H. Arnold, History: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), 3-4.

[2] Thomas Cauvin, “The Rise of Public History: An International Perspective,” Historia Critica 68 (2018): 4.

[3] Cauvin, “The Rise of Public History,” 17.