The Canadian and Northeast American Societies for Eighteenth-Century Studies (CSECS and NEASECS) recently held their annual conference in Ottawa on the theme of ’1759: Making and Unmaking Empires’. A number of papers – particularly those by Joan Coutu (Waterloo) and David McNeil (Dalhousie) – sought to represent the importance of this pivotal year through the reconstruction of both the short and long-term legacies of historical figures such as James Wolfe.
The Death of General Wolfe by Benjamin West (Wiki Commons)
While the papers were singularly relevant and useful for getting at a broader examination of the eighteenth-century empire-building process, the conference theme raised several important issues. First, the concept of employing historical anniversaries in order to publicize scholarly work is itself fraught with problems as it implicitly ties disciplinary considerations to the larger public processes of commemoration and political debate that are largely manifested outside of academia.
Secondly, although anniversaries are often seen as an important way of focusing scholarship, does their representation of historical events ultimately encourage a wider participation in the process of history re-making? Or as both discursive and political objects are they more of an exercise in styling history to capitalize on public interest? While my last post raised several questions as to the inclusiveness of academically-oriented yet ‘accessible’ texts, what I want to get at in this one is whether the reverse – of using the tools of ‘popular history’ in the presentation of serious academic scholarship – is either beneficial or harmful for the discipline. Historians have frequently been concerned that historical topics should contain relevance for contemporary culture, while at the same time being broadly accessible to the general public. Above all, the desire for history to be ‘marketable’ to the popular consumer has led to a number of compromises in the way it is explained and mediated. Both tourism and media often capitalize on these events. If you doubt this, just turn on your television and you’re bound to find something on the Berlin Wall – ‘twenty years later.’
The first problem has several serious consequences especially considering the history and importance of 1759 in Canada. As 2009 saw the 250th anniversary of the British conquest of Quebec, I wonder at the implications of holding a conference on empire in the nation’s capital. This should in no way be seen as a criticism of the conference but rather as an observation that events such as these can be perceived more broadly when (as on anniversaries such as these) public interest and discourse are highly attuned towards the issues at hand.
Robert Burns (Wiki Commons)
The second problem can also be viewed through recent examples, such as the ‘Homecoming Scotland 2009’ celebrations. For the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns’ birth, the Scottish Government decided to coordinate a massive showcasing of Scottish history and culture with artistic and educational institutions around the country. Although a number of academically themed discussions on Scottish history were presented at the National Library of Scotland, the University of Edinburgh and elsewhere, the events soon looked more and more like a thinly disguised attempt to attract tourism dollars rather than an actual cultural celebration. What this points out is that successful attempts to mediate and popularize scholarly history have been intermittent at best. In part this is due to the critical approach of a great deal of scholarly work, which contrasts with a continuing public appetite for history that is either triumphalist or romantic.
Historical anniversaries can be significant for reigniting scholarly interest in historical topics, realizing public funding for large-scale projects, or attracting public attention and engagement. Nevertheless, while acting as powerful vehicles for the proliferation of knowledge and debate, their usefulness must be weighed against a potential for reigniting political controversy or else being styled into historically-themed popular culture.
Tags: Academic Conference, British History, Eighteenth Century, Enlightenment, history, History Compass, History Compass Exchanges, Media History, Popular Culture, Popular History
