With the collapse of metanarratives of the past and the emergence of civic movements around the world that question the validity of mainstream historical narratives, public historians have to face new challenges as well. How to present such contested or sensitive histories to the public? If there is no uncontested past, whose voices should be heard and amplified by historians? What display formats are most appropriate to transmit such histories to the general public? This workshop, organized by the University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway, will address the role of public historians working on contested pasts or sensitive histories.
The workshop is connected to the 3 ECTS course, “Memory wars: conflicting and contested pasts”, organized by UiT – The Arctic University of Norway. During the workshop, students will examine the 2013 and 2014 reports by the UN special rapporteur for cultural rights. Students may take one or both courses.
Programme
- 9:00-9:30: Welcome
- 9:30-10:30: Plenary lecture: Maria Fritsche (NTNU) on her work on the rehabilitation of Austrian deserters
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Nazi Germany brutally persecuted soldiers who attempted to evade military service during WWII. More than 22,000 Wehrmacht deserters were sentenced to death, and tens of thousands more suffered in military concentration camps or special punishment battalions. Branded as traitors and cowards by the Nazis, they continued to face marginalization and discrimination in Austria and Germany for decades after the war. Their stories remained silenced.
In 1999, while still a student, Maria Fritsche began researching their fate. What began as a seminar paper evolved into a large research project and a long fight for their rehabilitation, against massive resistance from the political right and veteran groups. Finally, in 2005, the Austrian parliament invalidated all Wehrmacht court verdicts and conferred victim status upon the few survivors of Nazi persecution. Maria Fritsche will discuss the psychological impact and challenges of investigating such a contentious topic, as well as the difficulties of balancing victim expectations, the desire for reform, and the historian's obligation for critical, detached analysis.
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BREAK
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11:00-12:00: Group work, based on the UN reports and student papers (800 words). The papers should be 1) reflections on exhibitions or memorials in your local community, presenting history from the viewpoint of groups often marginalized from national history and other hegemonic narratives, and/or 2) the role of historians in confronting “contested pasts”.
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BREAK
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13:00-14:00: Plenary panel: A panel of public historians will discuss the challenges of their work presenting contested pasts and sensitive histories, including Kata Bohus’s exihibit on Jews in postwar Europe for the Frankfurt Jewish Museum, Marianne Neerland Soleim and Stian Bones’s exhibit on WWII for the Tromso Museum, and Cathrine Baglo about Margrethe Kreutz’s history (traveling exhibit).
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BREAK
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14:30-15:30: Group work, based on the plenary discussion and supplementary reading.
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15:30-16:00: Conclusion of the workshop
Preparation for the course
All reading materials are uploaded on Teams. Mandatory readings are personal reflections of historians on the challenges of doing public history and their practical recommendations on how to overcome them. Recommended readings offer a more general introduction into public history (Rutherford) and the particular challenges faced by those doing public history in today’s Russia (Zavadski).
Mandatory reading:
- United Nations General Assembly, Report of the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Farida Shaheed (2014)
- Gloria Jean Frank (2000), “’That’s My Dinner on Display’: A First Nations Reflection on Museum Culture,” BC Studies, 125/126, 163-178.
- James B. Gardner (2004), “History, Museums and the Public,” The Public Historian, 26/4, 11-21.
- Tiya Miles (2016), “Edges, Ledges, and the Limits of Craft. Imagining Historical Work Beyond the Boundaries,” The Public Historian, 38/1, 8-17.
Recommended reading:
- Alexandra Rutherford (2021), “Going public: Mobilizing, materializing, and contesting social science history,” Journal of the History of Behavioral Sciences, 57, 5-11.
- Andrei Zavadski, Vera Dubina, Egor Isaev, Alexandra Kolesnik, Julia Lajus and Katerina Suverina (2022), “Public History in Russia: The Past, the Present, and (Thought About) the Future,” International Public History, 5/2, 143-156.
Course assignment:
By 9 October, you are expected to upload your individual reflection paper (600-800 words) on Teams. The paper should be your own reflections on 1) exhibitions or memorials in your local community, presenting (or the opposite: silencing) history from the viewpoint of groups often marginalized from national history and other hegemonic narratives, and/or 2) the role of historians in confronting “contested pasts” through public engagement.
Considering some of the following questions might help you formulate your thoughts, but you are welcome to approach your subject from a different venture point:
- What is the relationship between “academic history” and “public” or “applied history”?
- What is the difference (if any) between the role of a museum and a memorial?
- What ethical considerations arise when doing public history?
After the course, you will have the possibility to modify and resubmit your reflection paper if you wish, particularly with your own thoughts on how you, as a public historian, would present a particular bit of contested history to the public.
Deadline for resubmissions: November 10, 2023.
The course will be conducted in English. The students are expected to attend and contribute actively in all parts of the course.
Students may take the course for credit or audit it. To achieve the credit, participants will submit an 800 words paper, see above. If not approved immediately, the paper might be resubmitted for a new evaluation in three weeks’ time.
Reading amount: Appr. 70–100 pages of required readings.
1 ECTS (25-30 hours, incuding preparations and participation).
Scientific coordinators: Kata Bohus & Kari Aga Myklebost, UiT
Administrative coordinator: Mathias Eriksen, UiT
Partner institutions of the Norwegian Research School in History are:
- University of Agder, Department of Religion, Philosophy and History
- University of Bergen, Department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion
- BI - Norwegian Business Schoow, Department of Law and Governance
- Nord University, Faculty of Social Science
- NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Humanities
- University of Oslo, Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History
- UiT - The Artic University of Norway, Department of Archaeology, History, Religious Studies and Theology
- Volda University College - Social Sciences and History
- University of South-Eastern Norway
Strategic Partner: