ABSTRACT
To use the term production of historical meaning is to recognize that the representation of an environment or historical event is not so much a matter of getting it right insofar as the criteria for “right” is determined by 19th-century Hegelian or positivist notions of scientifically evidenced truth (authenticity). Rather, as more recent discourses remind us, the meaning of an event is flexible and informed by any number of factors, including the interpreter, group, or institution’s ideology, values, subject position, and indeed historiographic understanding. In other words, while historical reenactors and heritage sites were concerned mostly with accuracy in their performances and exhibits even as recently as half a century ago—at least outwardly—today’s goals for producing meaning are just as likely to include emotional impact, inclusivity, and an eye toward social justice.
