Public History: What is it?

In Prof. Jordanova's essay on public history, she explains the differences between public and academic history. She also brings to light some of the political, moral, and cultural dilemmas that are brought up when displaying exhibits to the public. Public history, is a type of history that is intended to bring "popular" history to a mass audience, usually with a specific purpose and a specific target audience. That purpose may be political, to promote a corporation or to promote a sense of unity and fellowship among the audience. Public history exhibits, which include museums, monuments, memorials, cultural heritage sites, etc., are major cultural forces, help shape opinions and communicate events of the past to the public . But one must keep in mind the invisible forces and ulterior motives behind the exhibits. These invisible forces include who is funding the exhibit, the selective nature of choosing items to display, and the moralizing tones of heroes and villains or winners and losers in historical events of the past. It's good to keep in mind that public history exhibits show only a specific vantage point on the subject on display, but it's only natural for this to occur and good to keep these invisible forces in mind when viewing them.