Playing Ourselves Interpreting Native Histories at Historic Reconstructions

Playing Ourselves explores the ongoing trend for reconstructed historic sites to broaden their interpretation of early America by adding Native American interpreters to staffs that formerly presented from a primarily European perspective, examining the reasons behind this shift and the effects it has on visitors and performers. Peers uses her detailed observations of five historic reconstructions to both examine the theoretical aspects of their cultural performance and advise interpreters and their managers on how to more effectively present the inclusive history to which they aspire.

Laura Peers is lecturer in anthropology and curator of the Americas Collections at the Pitt Rivers Museum as well as a fellow at Linacre College, University of Oxford