How do public historians engage with histories of sexuality? In what ways do museums and historic sites offer unique perspectives on histories of sex and sexualities? How does physical space and site-specific history impact audience engagement with the history of sexuality? How can public historians help diversify and increase the visibility of often ignored sexual histories? How does sharing historical authority change critical discussions about the history of sexuality/ How can public historians facilitate local, state, and national discussions about the history of sexuality?

NOTCHES is seeking short essays (1,000-1,500 words) exploring histories of sexuality in Public History. We welcome blog posts; interviews with scholars, public historians, and activists; as well as submissions to our “Archives of Desire” series in which historians and public historians reflect on specific primary sources and their value in researching, teaching, or curating histories of sexuality.

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Former Director of the National Park Service, Jonathon Jarvis, speaking at the Stonewall National Monument dedication on 27 June 2016. (Photo by Tami A. Heilman, Interior Department. doi.gov)

Possible topics for exploration include:

  • Experiences researching and curating exhibits on the histories of sex and sexualities
  • Challenges to including histories of sexuality in museum and historic site narratives
  • Sharing authority
  • Audience representation, reception, and inclusion
  • Public history theory
  • Interpreting histories of sexuality
  • Collection practices and principles
  • Preserving recent history in the face of great social upheaval
  • Intersectionality in interpretation and curation
  • Local, state, and national support for history of sexuality’s inclusion at sites of history
  • Public and professional support for exhibits, collections, interpretive programs, etc.

Style and image guidelines:

  • Submissions should be written for a non-specialist and international audience. Therefore, avoid jargon and use hyperlinks wherever possible to clarify terms or concepts that may be unfamiliar to a general readership.
  • Include at least one relevant image for which you have obtained permission and caption your image with clear attribution information. We also welcome your use of a range of sources such as movies or sound files.
  • Include a short author bio including hyperlinks with your submission.
  • For more information see our submission guidelines.

Proposals and queries are most welcome. Send submission to Social Media Editor Natalie Sherif at nsara448@gmail.com by July 15, 2017. All submissions to NOTCHES will go through an internal peer review process prior to publication.



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NOTCHES: (re)marks on the history of sexuality is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at www.notchesblog.com.

For permission to publish any NOTCHES post in whole or in part please contact the editors at NotchesBlog@gmail.com

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