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“Uses of the past” in applied history methodology : The case of trust-building for public institutions in Belgium

dc.contributor.authorWynant, Julie
dc.contributor.editorPihlainen, Kalle
dc.contributor.editorFinney, Patrick
dc.coverage.spatialBelgiumen_US
dc.coverage.temporal20th centuryen_US
dc.coverage.temporal21st centuryen_US
dc.date2025-02-20
dc.date.accessioned2026-04-09T15:28:23Z
dc.date.available2026-04-09T15:28:23Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.identifier.citationWynant, J. (2025). “Uses of the past” in applied history methodology : The case of trust-building for public institutions in Belgium. Rethinking History, 29(1), 140–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/13642529.2025.2465051en_US
dc.identifier.issn(print) 1364-2529
dc.identifier.issn(online) 1470-1154
dc.identifier.urihttps://orfeo.belnet.be/handle/internal/14658
dc.descriptionApplied history studies are currently dominated by the presumption that policymakers lack access or attention to the past. This so-called history deficit is often resolved by providing analogies, a method that carries the implicit conviction that societal issues should be tackled by learning something from the past itself. In opposition to that presumption, this article introduces a ‘uses of the past’ approach derived from the idea that something can be learned and done with historical narratives that already circulate in the current communication efforts of social actors. Drawing on empirical research, the article presents a guideline for assessing how public institutions use the past, offering advice on strategically refining these historical narratives through a reflective, participatory approach. Specifically, it addresses the wicked problem of distrust in public institutions, proposing a co-creative model in which applied historians collaborate with stakeholders to refine public communication and foster trust.en_US
dc.languageengen_US
dc.publisherTaylor & Francis Ltden_US
dc.title“Uses of the past” in applied history methodology : The case of trust-building for public institutions in Belgiumen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
dc.subject.frascatiMedia and communicationsen_US
dc.subject.frascatiHistory and Archaeologyen_US
dc.subject.frascatiPhilosophy, Ethics and Religionen_US
dc.audienceScientificen_US
dc.subject.freeapplied historyen_US
dc.subject.freedistrusten_US
dc.subject.freeuses of the pasten_US
dc.subject.freenarrativesen_US
dc.subject.freepublic communicationen_US
dc.subject.freepublic institutionsen_US
dc.source.titleRethinking History. The Journal of Theory and Practiceen_US
dc.source.volume29en_US
dc.source.issue1 - The Politics of Voluntariness in Modern Historyen_US
dc.source.page140-163en_US
dc.relation.projectCorvus - Historical Consultancy for Public Institutionsen_US
Orfeo.peerreviewedYesen_US
dc.identifier.publisherlinkhttps://www.tandfonline.com/
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1080/13642529.2025.2465051
dcterms.accessRightsClosed access
dcterms.licenseAll rights reserved
dcterms.typePublished version


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