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Course description

History is everywhere in the contemporary world. Whether as education, entertainment, nostalgia, or escapism, the past is constantly being used, and abused, in contemporary culture. History in Popular Culture will scrutinise the use of history in popular and consumer cultures around the world. Over the course of this semester we will examine history in film, television, museums, online, and in various public spaces. In doing so, we will consider the social construction of historical knowledge in contemporary culture and society. Each week we will consider a particular type of public or popular history-making, examining both the form itself and more specific examples from around the globe. As we do so, we will ask: What happens to history in the public sphere? Is it possible to gain any proper historical knowledge from this kind of history? Is public or popular history "real" history, or is this the wrong question? And what can (& should?) historians - and history students - do about it if it isn't?

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