The Wages of History: Emotional Labor on Public History’s Front Lines

244 Pages·2013·1.373 MB·English

by  Amy M. Tyson

The Wages
of History
Emotional Labor
on Public History’s
Front Lines
Amy M. Tyson
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THE WAGES OF HISTORY
a volume in the series
Public History in Historical Perspective
edited by
Marla R. Miller
The Wages
of History
Emotional Labor on Public History’s Front Lines
Amy M. Tyson
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS PRESS
Amherst and Boston
Copyright (cid:185) 2013 by University of Massachusetts Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN 978-1-62534-024-5 (paper); 023-8 (hardcover)
Designed by Sally Nichols
Set in Monotype Apollo and Monotype Engravers
Printed and bound by Thomson-Shore, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Tyson, Amy.
The wages of history : emotional labor on public history’s front lines / Amy M. Tyson.
pages cm. — (Public history in historical perspective)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-62534-023-8 (hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-62534-024-5 (pbk.:
alk. paper) 1. Historical reenactments—Psychological aspects—Minnesota—Fort
Snelling. 2. Historical reenactments—Psychological aspects—Case studies. 3. Historic
sites—Interpretive programs—Psychological aspects—Minnesota—Fort Snelling. 4.
Historic sites—Interpretive programs—Psychological aspects—Case studies. 5. Public
history—Minnesota—Fort Snelling. 6. Acting—Psychological aspects—Case studies.
7. Fort Snelling (Minn) — History. I. Title.
F614.F7T97 2013
977.6’57—dc23
2013002452
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Publication of this book and other titles in the series Public History in Historical Perspective
is supported by the Office of the Dean, College of Humanities and Fine Arts, University of
Massachusetts Amherst.
In memory of Dr. Andy Helmich Sr., former Fort volunteer and
paid interpreter, who told me, “You’ve got to write it, you’ve got
to put it out there, you’ve got to draw on the people.”
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Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction
Customer Service Superstars 1
PART I
Public History’s Emotional Proletariat (1960–1996)
1. Performing a Public Service
From Historic Site to Work Site (1960–1985) 27
2. “Our Seat at the Table”
Interpreter Agency and Consent (1985–1996) 55
PART II
Historic Fort Snelling’s Front Line (1996–2006)
3. The Wages of Living History
Rewards and Costs of Emotional Investment 87
4. Pursuing Authenticity
Creative Autonomy and Workplace Games 116
5. Interpreting Painful Histories
Emotional Comfort and Connecting 145
Epilogue 172
Notes 179
Index 217
{ vii }
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