The Australian Centre for Public History
The ACPH was established at the end of 1998. It seeks to promote the practice and understanding of public history both in the academy and in the community. The centre is also the home of the refereed electronic journal Public History Review and is a partner in the landmark Dictionary of Sydney.
The Centre has attracted Australian Research Council Grant funding and undertakes community collaborations and commissioned projects. Other activities include maintaining and developing national and international public history networks and running public history seminars and conferences.
The Rocks, Sydney, 1900
What is Public History?
Public History in Australia has been defined as 'the practice of history by academically trained historians working for public agencies or as freelancers outside the universities'. Public historians may work in heritage conservation, commissioned history, museums, the media, education, radio, film interactive multimedia and other areas. They are people who have asked: 'What is history for?' And they are concerned with addressing the relationship between audience, practice and social context.
Public history, however, is an elastic term that can mean different things to different people, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. The democratisation of 'history making' and the rise of professional historians' associations have also blurred simple definitions. Public representations of the past, official or otherwise, which marginalise or abuse history raise other vital questions for all concerned with public histories.
Objectives
The Centre's objectives are to:
- Provide a variety of bodies in educational, community and professional sectors with a gateway to public history expertise and resources at UTS
- Foster international exchanges of both staff and students
- Seek local, state and federal support for public history and related endeavours
- Demonstrate the integral link between public history skills and knowledges in the university and the broader community and
- Foster and undertake research in the area of public history and to carry out appropriate consultancies to support these objectives.
Directors
Associate Professor Paul Ashton
phone +61 2 9514 2310
fax +61 2 9514 2770
email Paul.Ashton@uts.edu.au
Building 2, level 7, room 7067
Associate Professor Paula Hamilton
phone +61 2 9514 9941
fax +61 2 9514 2770
email Paula.Hamilton@uts.edu.au
Building 2, level 7, room 7061