Public History for a Post-Truth Era

Fighting Denial through Memory Movements

Liz Sevcenko

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9781032029221
• eBook ISBN: 9781000607734
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: World History
• Index: History

Public History for a Post-Truth Era explores how to combat historical denial when faith in facts is at an all-time low. Moving beyond memorial museums or documentaries, the book shares on-the-ground stories of participatory public memory movements that brought people together to grapple with the deep roots and current truths of human rights abuses. It gives an inside look at "Sites of Conscience" around the world, and the memory activists unearthing their hidden histories, from the Soviet Gulag to the slave trade in Senegal. It then follows hundreds of people joining forces across dozens of US cities to fight denial of Guantánamo, mass incarceration, and climate change.

As reparations proposals proliferate in the US, the book is a resource for anyone seeking to confront historical injustices and redress their harms. Written in accessible, non-academic language, it will appeal to students, educators, or supportive citizens interested in public history, museums, or movement organizing.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half-Title Page
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Part I Sites of Conscience
• Part II Guantánamo Public Memory and Reckoning with “Who We Are”
• Part III States of Incarceration
• Part IV Climates of Inequality
• Conclusion: Participatory Public Memory for Truth's New Era
• Appendix
• Index