LIVING HISTORY

'Living history' is sometimes used as a synonym for historical reenactment aimed at increasing understanding of the past,^[1] but more specifically for an aspect of historical reenactment which aims to accurately depict the day-to-day lives of normal people during a given time period. It is often used to distinguish from combat reenactment, which is the other main focus of many reenactment groups.
This may be confined to wearing period dress and perhaps explaining relevant historical information, either in role (also called first-person interpretation) or out of character (also called third-person interpretation). While many museums allow their staff to move in and out of character, so as to better answer visitor questions, some encourage their staff to stay in role at all times. This technique was pioneered by the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village in Alberta, Canada.
Living history portrayal usually involves demonstrating everyday activities such as cooking, cleaning, medical care or, particularly, skills and crafts. Depending on the time portrayed, these might include such crafts as spinning, sewing, loom, tablet or tapestry weaving, dyeing, basketry, ropemaking, leather-working or cobbling, metal, stone or glass working and a range of woodworking such as turning. Considerable research is often applied to identifying authentic techniques and often recreating replica tools and equipment.
Reenactment groups often organize such displays in an encampment or display at an event, and have a separate area for tactical or military activity. This is sometimes referred to as a Living History Exhibit. Whilst some such exhibits may be conducted in character as a representation of typical everyday life, more are specifically organized to inform the public and so might include an emphasis on craft activities, or other day-to-day activities, which are convenient to stage and interesting to watch and which are typically explained out of character.
The focus on Living History increased in importance within many re-enactment groups over the 1990s. Some groups specialize in 'Living History' without participating in any kind of "tactical" military events or displays.
Living History may also be used to describe a method of history teaching whereby students try their hand at such activities and experience some aspects of period lifestyle guided by historical interpreters, albeit sometimes with less scrupulous standards of authenticity.
Photographs of Living History exhibits are increasingly used in serious history books to illustrate aspects of daily life.^[2] Living History often involves thorough research on the part of the re-enactor, or an attempt to improve understanding of the past through experiment, for example, using accurate replica tools to reveal possible techniques. Such activities may contribute clues to understanding historical life and may demonstrate how something 'may' have been achieved, but cannot 'prove' that this was the case (see Experimental archaeology).

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References

See also

External Links

References

1. Elliot-Wright, P. J. C. 2000 ''Living History'', London: Brassey's
2. Alcock, J.P. 2001 ''Food in Roman Britain'', Stroud: Tempus

See also

★ Living museum

★ Living History Australia

★ Experimental archaeology

★ Colonial Williamsburg

★ Old Salem

★ Conner Prairie

★ Cosmeston Medieval Village

★ Rowany Festival

External Links

★ ''Living History'' at the Open Directory Project

★ The Great Northwood Bowmen Medieval Longbow Archery and re-enactment Society, re-enacting life in the 15th century, based in London.

★ [1] The World-Wide Home of Re-enacting

★ Widoeghe Living history and re-enactment.

★ Reenactors.TV Reenactors & Living Historians of all eras involved in film and television work.

★ [2] Accurate living history event that
demonstrates historical Victorian and Civil War reenactments by amateur and academic historians.

★ Lego V Living History Group in Tennessee

★ Rapska Fjera

★ ''GermanParatrooper.org'' 'WWII German Paratrooper Reenacting'