She Who Scrivens

Writer/Consultant/Educator

What I Do in My Role as a Public Historian

 

Research, writing, consulting, and designing online exhibitions. Creating educational programs, content, articles, and books. Working with publications, as well as history organizations, museums, libraries, and historical sites. Women's history, writing history, ancient history, and the intersection of public history and spirituality.

As a longtime writer and expert on spiritual matters, I love to blend my years as a reporter, author, and officiant, with my work as a public historian.

 

This work allows me to marry experiences, methodologies, and aims of multiple fields, and to look at history through my own unique lens.

 

A public historian engages with the public to make history accessible and relevant, while a spiritual writer and expert may guide individuals in matters of the soul and human experience. From my view, there are many ways in which "the twain shall meet."

Here are some of the ways I enjoy blending my existing expertise with my focus on public history:

Interpreting Sacred Texts and Traditions as Historical Artifacts: With my spiritual education and experiences, I can examine religious texts and spiritual practices not just for their theological meaning, but as products of their time and culture. This may involve using historical-critical methods to explore the socio-political contexts in which traditions emerged. It is also a chance to track the different ways in which people of different cultures worship, experience the Divine, and interpret spirituality in their daily lives-in ancient and modern cultures.

 

Curating Exhibits or Leading Historical Tours with a Spiritual Lens: I love to create digital museum exhibits or lead digital tours of historic sites (such as pilgrimage routes, ancient temples, or significant cultural landmarks) that highlight their spiritual significance and evolution over time. This approach transforms a purely academic tour into a reflective, educational experience.

 

Utilize storytelling and narrative: Both writing and public history rely heavily on narrative to engage an audience. As a writer of non-fiction I have many ways to craft a story. As a spiritual expert I look for ways to create a spiritually-informed narative that is relatable to the most common denominator of people. It is not about promoting religion, or one faith over another. It is more of an interfaith and interspiritual view.

Connecting Historical Narratives to Universal Human Experiences: History is full of stories about human struggles, resilience, and the search for meaning. As a spiritual expert who is also a public historian, I can use these narratives to illustrate timeless spiritual principles and show how people in different eras navigated the same fundamental questions about life, death, and purpose.

 

 

Utilizing Diverse Media for Storytelling: By creating articles, exhibitions, courses, and books -- or through podcasts, presentations, and public forums -- I can blend historical research with spiritual insights. This allows me to make complext historical information accessible to targeted audiences who are interested in learning both the historial and spiritual aspects of a topic.

 

Consulting on public history topics: I can work through museums, assist with documentaries, and help develop community events. These areas, and more, are platforms for offering historical research that has a spiritual component. This can involve highlighting the spiritual dimensions of historical sites and artifacts, or it can lead to advising historical organization on spiritual exbiits or programs.

 

Explore the intersection of history and personal belief: Historical events can be utilized to explore universal spiritual questions, such as resilience, community, and the search for meaning. It is also a rewarding experience to examin how different cultures have integrated spirituality into their understanding of history.

 

 I appreciate the opportunity to act as a bridge between the academic study of the past and the soulful search for present-day meaning.