Commemoration: The American Association for State and Local History Guide ed. by Seth C. Bruggeman

Reviewed by: Commemoration: The American Association for State and Local History Guide ed. by Seth C. Bruggeman Devin R. Lander Commemoration: The American Association for State and Local History Guide Edited by Seth C. Bruggeman. New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017. 180 pages, 6" × 9 2/3". $88.00 cloth, $41.00 paperback, $39.00 e-book. Despite the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has set planning back, the calendar continues to march toward 2026 and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution. Planning is ramping up at the national level, where the America250 organization is coordinating efforts to establish state commissions or otherwise duly designated nonprofit partners in all fifty states. In New York, the state legislature unanimously passed legislation creating a 250th Commemoration Commission, and Governor Hochul signed it into law in December 2021. State agencies such as the Office of Cultural Education, the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and the Empire State Development (I Love NY) are coordinating efforts with the state's National Park Service sites and Heritage Areas, while planning is also underway at the local and regional level. As such, now is an important time to consider the American Association of State and Local History's (AASLH) guidebook on facilitating a successful commemoration. There is no doubt that the planning currently underway with relation to the 250th is being done at a time of great cultural and political conflict, and the history of the United States remains a focal point of contention. Ideas related to what, and whose, history is privileged both in educational curricula and at sites of public history remain hotly debated. Seth C. Bruggeman, the editor of the book, notes in his introductory essay that there remain many pitfalls in relation to the role of history in commemoration and that history and commemoration are not necessarily the same. "Unlike history, which is concerned primarily with circumstance," Bruggeman writes, "commemoration dwells almost entirely on feeling," which is why it can be both so powerful and so contentious" (1). Past commemorations erred on the side of feeling and, as such, relegated the complex and difficult aspects of history to the fine print, if mentioned at all. We are presented today with the opportunity to do better. Bruggeman suggests that [End Page 393] the way to do so is to introduce nuance into every part of the planning and programming for any type of historical commemoration. This can be done in a variety of ways, including understanding that any commemoration is a reflection not so much of the times it is commemorating, but of the times in which the commemoration is taking place. As such, commemorations should be, as Erika Doss suggests in her chapter "Commemoration, Conversation, and Public Feeling in America Today," "discursive—a kind of conversation, an act of speech or performance, a form of communication—that occurs when publics come together to remember, to honor, to celebrate, and/or to mourn people or events deemed significant, or exceptional, at particular moments" (137). Engaging with the public in the planning of the commemoration, rather than simply presenting a select committee's viewpoint, ensures that what is being prioritized within the context of the commemoration is informed by the current priorities of the community. There is much of value in this book for current commemorative planners, whether working on the 250th or on another type of historical commemoration. Essays on festivals and their role in commemoration (William S. Walker), the complex and disputed role of reenactors and reenactments throughout the commemorative past (Cathy Stanton), and pieces that highlight the pitfalls and opportunities inherent in local (Anne C. Reilly), state-wide (Janet L. Gallimore), cross-border (Adam Hjorthén), diverse (Kenneth C. Turino), and difficult (George W. McDaniel) commemorations provide both cautionary tales and pragmatic guideposts for planners across genres. Jean-Pierre Morin, meanwhile, challenges us to consider how commemorations engage with the idea of the "Great Men" of history by outlining the political realities and missed opportunities in how Canada commemorated one of its "founders," Sir John A. Macdonald, during its 150th commemoration in 2017. By overfocusing on Macdonald as THE founder of Canada, the commemoration...

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