In response to Pamela Sezgin's question, I naturally think of my own museum's
name change 20 years ago, from the National Museum of History and Technology
to the National Museum of American History.  While the "history" part was
always understood to be American history, the "technology" aspect was largely
international in scope.  After two previous directors had emphasized our
"American" side to a greater extent than their predecessors had and most of
the technology curators did, the new name, National Museum of American
History, became official while Roger Kennedy was director.  In a meeting with
a staff organization which I attended, Kennedy stated that the name change
would make us sound "sexier" to Congress and lead to increased federal
funding, but that it really wouldn't modify our programs.  I don't know if he
really believed that or was merely joking, but of course eventually the name
change had profound effects, and our international collections, many of which
are of great importance, are being progressively obscured by the emphasis on
American objects and "stories".  Many significant technological artifacts are
no longer on display, and I personally think this is a shame.  So I guess
that's a negative, despite how positive we may feel about "American history".

It's interesting to consider how this name change has contributed to the
current Smithsonian turmoil, much of which concerns the nature of our
particular museum and how American history should be interpreted.  Roger
Kennedy's prediction was incorrect (and we didn't get substantially more
federal funding anyway).

David Haberstich

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