Much to the annoyance of historians, public perceptions of the past are often shaped by popular culture, books, TV, films, and other cultural artifacts. However, despite their inaccuracies, the elements that make up popular culture are topics of great interest to historians. In this episode of Talking History, we speak to Dr. Kathleen Kennedy about the ways popular culture can provide insights into how particular societies have understood their past and how those understandings have changed over time.

Dr. Kathleen Kennedy is a professor of history and head of the Department of History at Missouri State University.