Ep. 48: Colleen Shogan on Public History, Polarization, and the Future of the National Archives

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 Introductions01:05 What an Archivist Does03:25 Nonpartisan Role Explained06:03 Fired Without Explanation08:28 Criticism From Both Sides12:08 Coping and Moving Forward17:19 New Platform After NARA18:44 Polarization and Trust Crisis23:42 Holding Complexity in History26:39 Lincoln Douglass and Nuance31:19 Revising History Temptation32:13 Blimp View History33:20 Critical Juncture Debate34:11 Why Archives Matter35:59 Reconstruction Records Lessons38:32 Born Digital Crisis43:01 Access Not Storage44:14 Deepfakes Trust Proof47:17 In Pursuit Project55:51 Learning From Failures01:01:01 Planning Next 250ResourcesCheck out the wonderful collection of essays celebrating our nation’s 250th at In Pursuit and the podcast In Pursuit with Colleen Shogan This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wemadethispolitical.substack.com