Susan Ferentinos

History in Service of the Future

Susan Ferentinos

An understanding of the past is essential for building a rich and responsible future. Toward that end, my work combines the best historical practices with a commitment to relevance and connection. This vision has led me to a variety of efforts, such as collaborating with the National Park Service on over a hundred cultural resource and interpretive projects, writing a book on interpreting LGBTQ history, consulting with an array of museums and historic sites, and advocating for a larger understanding within the historical profession of the potential of our work. While my experience has been wide and varied, the belief behind it has stayed the same: History has the power to change the present world.

Featured Project

Communicating the Value of Inclusive History

The Reframing History project is an effort by the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) to better understand the past ways to communicate to the public about the work we do as historians. As part of this effort, AASLH has produced a limited-series podcast exploring how to put the project’s findings to work in the public history field. I was honored to be one of the thought leaders interviewed for Episode 4: Communicating the Value of Inclusive History. Have a listen!

Award-Winning Book on Interpreting LGBT History

“Ferentinos bases her work in sound scholarship, providing a concise history of the subject matter—quite an achievement when she clearly argues that there is not one lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) history, but many. Following the historical overview, Ferentinos introduces three well-chosen case studies… “

Available at: Rowman & Littlefield | IndieBound | Amazon

Cover of the book