The New History in an Old Museum: Creating the Past at Colonial Williamsburg
In the past decade the staff of Colonial Williamsburg has attempted to incorporate the methodology of the new social history into its interpretive program. This change meant involving the "real" people of Colonial Williamsburg?blacks, women, and the lower class. Handler (anthropology, Univ. of Virginia, Charlottesville) and Gable (sociology and anthropology, Mary Washington Coll.) apply an "ethnographic" model to analyze this change at the museum. The scope of their research?which consisted of countless visits to the museum, observation of activities, and extensive research in museum archives?is truly amazing, and the result is a fascinating book but with some limitations. The authors have done a great service in breaking down disciplinary barriers, but they sometimes fail to recognize that their readers may not be familiar with their categories or vocabulary. A good work for social scientists, historians, and those in museums.?Charles K. Piehl, Mankato State Univ., Minn.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.