Then, courtesy of a former student, the “History in Museums” class saw Nightline’s October 1994 program on the Enola Gay crisis at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum (NASM). Since most of the course readings explore these issues through the experiences of individual museums, the debates initially seem distant and particularistic-not something for students to worry about just yet.
The class readings and discussions steadily draw people to recognizing the relevance of addressing social constructions, rightful ownership of artifacts, diverse voices, and the relative merits of commemoration and historical analysis.
Students in my public history classes generally start out wondering why the topics extend beyond setting up attractive exhibitions, raising funds, conserving artifacts, and other practical matters.
