Wednesday, June 21

Witnessing Dr. Zuberi's reaction today viewing our progress on the archives hit home the power the human story has to excite, but a conversation while I was waiting for a late train at 30th Street station made me realize how few opportunities are given to people to really have them feel invested in engaging in history, anthropology, or archaeology.

In this conversation we exchanged pleasantries and facts about our work. The passenger told me that he worked in business strategy, and when I told him that I research archaeology and anthropology in a museum, he unequivocally told me he didn't like history, nor did he find it relevant. I was really saddened by his comment (I wasn't surprised by his comment as I have heard it before many times), but it also made me zealously eager to try to convince him to rethink his stance. I told him that it was my mission to make learning about the past and the present engaging and relevant to all, and that the way social-sciences are taught in school is a poor representation of the richness of the field. Ultimately, he remained unconvinced. I, however, have reinforced my own dedication to this mission, but with a practical understanding that the Penn Museum has much to do if they are dedicated to impacting the larger community.

Maybe if I brought the passenger from the SEPTA station to the archives session he would have understood our passion for engaging with historical subject matter, but until I can do that for this stranger, or any other individuals lackluster about history or archaeology, I don't begrudge them their attitude. History is irrelevant if it is kept unfamiliar and distant. The human story should be felt, above all, and if an institution fails to do that, then you can't blame the public for its disengagement.

One of my hopes for this reinstallation, which I have no doubt it will succeed in doing, is to create an experience for visitors that not only has them feel engaged with the subject matter in the space, but outside of it as well. By 2020, my hope is to sit on a bench in the 30th street SEPTA station and meet a stranger waiting for a train that, in a conversation about history, exhibits the same reactions I saw in the archives today from Dr. Zuberi and the rest of the team: those of awe, excitement, and wonder.

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