The New History in an Old Museum: Creating the Past at Colonial Williamsburg

The New History in an Old Museum is an exploration of andquot;historical truthandquot; as presented at Colonial Williamsburg. More than a detailed history of a museum and tourist attraction, it examines the packaging of American history, and consumerism and the manufacturing of cultural beliefs. Through extensive fieldworkandmdash;including numerous site visits, interviews with employees and visitors, and archival researchandmdash;Richard Handler and Eric Gable illustrate how corporate sensibility blends with pedagogical principle in Colonial Williamsburg to blur the lines between education and entertainment, patriotism and revisionism.

During much of its existence, the andquot;living museumandquot; at Williamsburg has been considered a patriotic shrine, celebrating the upscale lifestyles of Virginiaandrsquo;s colonial-era elite. But in recent decades a new generation of social historians has injected a more populist and critical slant to the siteandrsquo;s narrative of nationhood. For example, in interactions with museum visitors, employees now relate stories about the experiences of African Americans and women, stories that several years ago did not enter into descriptions of life in Colonial Williamsburg. Handler and Gable focus on the way this public history is managed, as historians and administrators define historiographical policy and middle-level managers train and direct front-line staff to deliver this andquot;productandquot; to the public. They explore how visitors consume or modify what they hear and see, and reveal how interpreters and craftspeople resist or acquiesce in being managed. By deploying the voices of these various actors in a richly textured narrative, The New History in an Old Museum highlights the elements of cultural consensus that emerge from this cacophony of conflict and negotiation.

andldquo;In this impressive ethnography of Williamsburg, Handler and Gable take us behind the scenes and show us the roles of professional historians, front-line interpreters, corporate officials, and service workers in shaping the portrait of eighteenth-century Virginia that is presented. I know of no other book that presents such a complete and complex portrait of the museum as a social, economic, and cultural institution.andrdquo;andmdash;Roy Rosenzweig, George Mason University

andldquo;A study quite unlike anything Iandrsquo;ve ever seen: in its depth of research, breadth of conception, theoretical sophistication, and incisiveness of judgment, it seems to me unmatched.andrdquo;andmdash;Peter Novick, University of Chicago

andldquo;This manuscript is a deep and original work of cultural critique. It will go a long way in improving the image of cultural studies scholarship among historians, anthropologists, and others, who hold it in suspicion. I am sure this study will be much cited as such an exemplar in several fields.andrdquo;andmdash;George E. Marcus, Rice University

An ethnographic exploration of the presentation of history at Colonial Williamsburg. It examines the packaging of American history, and the consumerism and the manufacturing of cultural beliefs.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [237]-257) and index.

“A study quite unlike anything I’ve ever seen: in its depth of research, breadth of conception, theoretical sophistication, and incisiveness of judgment, it seems to me unmatched.”—Peter Novick, University of Chicago“In this impressive ethnography of Williamsburg, Handler and Gable take us behind the scenes and show us the roles of professional historians, front-line interpreters, corporate officials, and service workers in shaping the portrait of eighteenth-century Virginia that is presented. I know of no other book that presents such a complete and complex portrait of the museum as a social, economic, and cultural institution.”—Roy Rosenzweig, George Mason University“This manuscript is a deep and original work of cultural critique. It will go a long way in improving the image of cultural studies scholarship among historians, anthropologists, and others, who hold it in suspicion. I am sure this study will be much cited as such an exemplar in several fields.”—George E. Marcus, Rice University