Ep. 48: Colleen Shogan on Public History, Polarization, and the Future of the National Archives
About this episode
Lura Forcum and Lauren Hall interview Colleen Shogan about public history and the challenges faced by the National Archives in a polarized environment.
Lura Forcum and Lauren Hall interview Colleen Shogan, the 11th Archivist of the United States, about practicing public history in a polarized, low-trust environment. Shogan explains the Archivist’s nonpartisan, Senate-confirmed role overseeing a nationwide federal agency, and describes being fired by President Trump without the legally required explanation to Congress. She discusses the personal impact, support she received, and her quick return to work through More Perfect’s “In Pursuit” project. The conversation covers why politicizing institutions like the National Archives and Library of Congress fuels public suspicion, the need to hold complexity and nuance in American history, and how archives enable evolving interpretations. Shogan warns that inadequate funding threatens access to massive born-digital records and outlines plans for a costly “system of systems,” while noting archives’ future importance in verifying truth amid deepfakes. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 01:05 What an Archivist Does 03:25 Nonpartisan Role Explained 06:03 Fired Without Explanation 08:28 Criticism From Both Sides 12:08 Coping and Moving Forward 17:19 New Platform After NARA 18:44 Polarization…
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