Who Owns America's Past?

The Smithsonian and the Problem of History

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Reference, History, Americas, United States
Cover of the book Who Owns America's Past? by Robert C. Post, Johns Hopkins University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Robert C. Post ISBN: 9781421411019
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press Publication: October 15, 2013
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Robert C. Post
ISBN: 9781421411019
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication: October 15, 2013
Imprint:
Language: English

In 1994, when the National Air and Space Museum announced plans to display the Enola Gay, the B-29 sent to destroy Hiroshima with an atomic bomb, the ensuing political uproar caught the museum's parent Smithsonian Institution entirely unprepared. As the largest such complex in the world, the Smithsonian cares for millions of objects and has displayed everything from George Washington's sword to moon rocks to Dorothy’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz. Why did this particular object arouse such controversy? From an insider’s perspective, Robert C. Post’s Who Owns America’s Past? offers insight into the politics of display and the interpretation of history.

Never before has a book about the Smithsonian detailed the recent and dramatic shift from collection-driven shows, with artifacts meant to speak for themselves, to concept-driven exhibitions, in which objects aim to tell a story, displayed like illustrations in a book. Even more recently, the trend is to show artifacts along with props, sound effects, and interactive elements in order to create an immersive environment. Rather than looking at history, visitors are invited to experience it.

Who Owns America’s Past? examines the different ways that the Smithsonian’s exhibitions have been conceived and designed—whether to educate visitors, celebrate an important historical moment, or satisfy donor demands or partisan agendas. Combining information from hitherto-untapped archival sources, extensive interviews, a thorough review of the secondary literature, and considerable personal experience, Post gives the reader a behind-the-scenes view of disputes among curators, academics, and stakeholders that were sometimes private and at other times burst into headline news.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In 1994, when the National Air and Space Museum announced plans to display the Enola Gay, the B-29 sent to destroy Hiroshima with an atomic bomb, the ensuing political uproar caught the museum's parent Smithsonian Institution entirely unprepared. As the largest such complex in the world, the Smithsonian cares for millions of objects and has displayed everything from George Washington's sword to moon rocks to Dorothy’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz. Why did this particular object arouse such controversy? From an insider’s perspective, Robert C. Post’s Who Owns America’s Past? offers insight into the politics of display and the interpretation of history.

Never before has a book about the Smithsonian detailed the recent and dramatic shift from collection-driven shows, with artifacts meant to speak for themselves, to concept-driven exhibitions, in which objects aim to tell a story, displayed like illustrations in a book. Even more recently, the trend is to show artifacts along with props, sound effects, and interactive elements in order to create an immersive environment. Rather than looking at history, visitors are invited to experience it.

Who Owns America’s Past? examines the different ways that the Smithsonian’s exhibitions have been conceived and designed—whether to educate visitors, celebrate an important historical moment, or satisfy donor demands or partisan agendas. Combining information from hitherto-untapped archival sources, extensive interviews, a thorough review of the secondary literature, and considerable personal experience, Post gives the reader a behind-the-scenes view of disputes among curators, academics, and stakeholders that were sometimes private and at other times burst into headline news.

More books from Johns Hopkins University Press

Cover of the book Medicine and Religion by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book The Cybernetics Moment by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book The Siddhāntasundara of Jñānarāja by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book One Health and the Politics of Antimicrobial Resistance by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book Wikipedia U by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book The Night Battles by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book Generous Thinking by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book Black Power by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book Ducks, Geese, and Swans of North America by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book Renaissance Meteorology by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book Wildlife in Airport Environments by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book Subverting Aristotle by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book The Slain Wood by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book A Telephone for the World by Robert C. Post
Cover of the book Authoritarianism Goes Global by Robert C. Post
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy