Reflections on Special Section, “Conservative Public History”

Abstract

These Reflections provide critical feedback on the special section, “Conservative Public History.” The author commends the guest editors for their important compilation, which is a timely and necessary contribution to the field of public history. However, he criticizes their choice of language by framing the collection as “conservative” versus expressions such as “right wing” or “authoritarian.” To better understand and contextualize the essays, the author recommends Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s book, Strongmen, and the essay, “The rise of end times fascism,” by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor.