Dale,
Just thinking off the top of my head here...
It seems to me you need to take an even further step back. What do
people mean by the word "history?" There are many different working
definitions for that word and not everyone defines it the same. At
one end of the spectrum, a spectrum with more than two ends I might
add, is the definition of history as anything that has happened in
the past. That would be a small "h" history. At another end is the
definition of History, upper case "H," that defines History as a
profession or avocation of making meaning from events in the past
through research, evidence, logic, debate and reflection. Some
definitions would include personal memories and oral traditions, some
definitions would exclude these types of "evidence" almost a priori
for not allowing enough emotional and temporal distance for proper
scholarship and consideration.
I find it amusing that some people (politicians and pundits) are
already talking about revisionist histories of the Iraq War. When was
there a "first vision" of the war? I thought it was still current
events. These differences also come to the front when memorials,
statues, commemorative events and similar projects are being planned.
Both a professional Historian and a Vietnam veteran have a "personal
connection to history," but my bet is that those two do not define
the words "personal," "connection," or "history" the same way, let
alone a phrase with all three words.
It seems to me you will have to step out of the field of traditional
history departments, museums, or visitor studies for this. I would
suggest authors who have studied commemoration and memorialization,
heritage studies, folklore, memory (individual and collective), Oral
History, Cultural Studies, Public History, and even religion and
spirituality since most religions are intricately connected to the
past or a people's view of their past, both History and history.
Indeed, some cultures get their history from their religion and/or
vice versa.
My guess is if you ask 3 people in any one of those fields, you will
get 5 definitions.
I would suggest any work by Ed Linenthal as a starting point. His
work in this area is not only well researched and well argued, but
also well written and accessible. He has also done his time in the
trenches working with many of the events in American and World
History that have the most "personal connection" to them whether
measured by quantity of people or quality of connection. He has been
part of the Holocaust Memorial Museum in DC, various Civil War and
Indian War Battlefields, the Oklahoma City Memorial, and now the
various memorials and museums related to 9/11. And if memory serves
he is a professor of Religion, NOT History.
Personally, your email has forced me to think about this issue harder
than I have in the past. When I read works on these topics I tend
just to accept whatever definition or goals the author has adopted,
and you are correct that it is usually implicit, not explicit.
I'll get back to you after I have ponder this awhile and/or unpacked
my many boxes.
Good luck,
Matt White
On Aug 8, 2007, at 2:50 PM, Dale Jones wrote:
> Claudia -- thanks for your thoughts. I have a copy of "Presence of
> the Past"
> -- but unfortunately, they don't define the term (unless I have
> just missed
> it, in which case I would appreciate a citation). They do use the
> term
> often, asking folks how "connected" they feel when they engage in a
> variety
> of activities.
>
> But my question remains -- what do people mean when they talk about
> "connections?" I have my own opinions, but I am looking for a useful
> definition that emerges from either visitor research or the opinion of
> thoughtful folks in the field. It appears that it is a term that both
> people in and out of the field (history) just assume is understood,
> but I
> would like to "upack" its meaning.
>
> Once again, if anyone knows of a citation or source that directly
> addresses
> the meaning of "connection" I would appreciate it. Otherwise I'll
> craft my
> own definition and see how it goes.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Dale Jones
> Institute for Learning Innovation
>
>
>
> On Tue, 7 Aug 2007 14:25:37 -0500, Claudia J. Nicholson
> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> Go back and look at "Presence of the Past" by Rosensweig and
>> Thelen--it is
>> probably the clearest thing that came out of their research.
>>
>> Claudia
>>
>>
>> On 8/6/07 2:20 PM, "Dale Jones" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi -
>>>
>>> I am preparing a session at AASLH on personal connections to
>>> history in
>>> museums and am looking for some working definitions, or better
>>> yet, a
>>> definition that comes out of relevant scholarship. Many history
>>> museums
>>> and sites now use some variant of "personal connections" or
>>> "connecting to
>>> the past" in their mission statements, but I have found none that
>>> define
>>> what they mean.
>>>
>>> Any thoughts?
>>>
>>> Thanks
>>>
>>> Dale Jones
>>> Institute for Learning Innovation
>>> [log in to unmask]
>>>
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