Slavery, the Environment, and Public History

Confronting vexed historical meanings and present-day uses of the past is the special charge of public historians. This course explores the theme of slavery in environmental context through the lenses and methods of public history, a field of historical inquiry and applied knowledge production that stresses past-present connections, community engagement, collaborative work, and audiences beyond the academy. As a foundational element in the structure of U.S. society, slavery has made a lasting imprint on social, cultural, political, economic, and ecological relations. Nevertheless, American public culture has avoided sustained exploration of the broad and complex history of racialized slavery and instead maintains a stance of discomfort, distance, and ambivalence. We will discuss change over time in public representations of slavery while also addressing the tensions of collaboration and audience engagement.