Interpreting Religion is an essential starting point for those who seek to represent religion to the public. It not only will generate ideas for curators and educators, it will serve to stimulate reflection on the slippery beast we name "religion".

The Public Historian

This book addresses what has been a source of anxiety and concern for many years. This book, a publication of the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH), attempts, through case studies of successful
exhibitions, to suggest ways to approach the interpretation of religious topics for a general audience. The book would certainly be of use to anyone preparing a religious site for public consumption, whether a museum professional or a representative of the religious faith represented.

Anglican and Episcopal History

A splendid introduction to interpreting religion in museums and historic sites. This very welcome publication, the sixteenth in AASLH's Interpreting History series, demonstrates that the study of religion in museums has come of age: theory has moved on to practice. . . . all in all this is an excellent handbook which marks a big step forward for the interpretation of religion in visitor attractions, and offers inspiration and models to history museums and historic sites of many different types, and in many different countries.

Reading Religion

Interpreting Religion. . . sparks a conversation, suggests a course of action that is both practical and inspiring, and looks to the future of museum interpretation – an ambitious set of goals for a relatively slim volume. No single case study offers a universal prescription for interpreting religious history, but taken together, they provide tools which can be combined to fit any site, secular or overtly religious, large or small, urban or rural. Interpreting Religion’s format allows the editors to demonstrate the diversity of religious experience in America’s past, argue for the importance of its role in interpreting the past in any setting, and offer a variety of tools to museum professionals wishing to deepen their site’s engagement with religious topics. . . . Interpreting Religion at Museums and Historic Sites is a call to action, but it also provides public historians a solid foundation from which to start.

The China Quarterly

I have been waiting for a book like this for a long time. Gretchen Buggeln and Barbara Franco have gathered an impressive collection of essays by museum professionals and public historians who have thought deeply about the place of religion in some of our most important cultural institutions. This is a landmark volume.

John Fea, Chair and Professor of History, Messiah College, author of Why Study History: Reflecting on the Importance of the Past

Interpreting Religion at Museums and Historic Sites is a godsend. Religion has often been taboo in museums and historic sites because of its complexity and potential emotional volatility, but with rare candor and courage, the contributors to Interpreting Religion show why any truthful representation of the American experience demands attention to the ubiquity of religion, religious objects, and religious claims that make up America. With case studies of museum exhibitions and historic site interpretations, along with broader essays on methodology, best practices, and historiography, this book is at once ecumenical and educational in its reach and should become scripture for anyone in the profession contemplating finding the very soul of America.

Randall Miller, The William Dirk Warren `50 Sesquicentennial Chair & Professor of History, Saint Joseph's University