Laurajane Smith facts for kids

Laurajane Smith FASSA was born in 1962. She is a very important expert in the field of heritage and museums. This means she studies how we understand and protect things from the past, like old buildings, traditions, and stories. She also looks at how museums share these things with people.

Who is Laurajane Smith?

Laurajane Smith is an Australian professor and researcher. She teaches and studies at universities. Her work helps us learn how people connect with history and culture. She thinks about why certain old places or objects are important to us.

Studying Heritage and Museums

Professor Smith is known as a Heritage and Museum Studies scholar. This special job means she looks at many things. She studies how different groups of people see and use heritage. She also explores how museums can make history interesting for everyone.

• She helps us understand why we save old things.
• She looks at how museums tell stories about the past.
• Her work helps people connect with their history.

Important Ideas and Books

Laurajane Smith has written and edited many books. These books share her ideas about heritage. They help other experts and students learn about this field.

Uses of Heritage

One important book she edited is called Uses of Heritage. In this book, she and other writers explore how heritage is used in different ways. Sometimes, heritage can be used to tell a story about a country. Other times, it can be used to remember important events. This book helps us think about the different reasons we value the past.

• The book looks at how heritage is used by different groups.
• It shows that heritage can have many meanings.
• It helps us understand the "politics of heritage." This means how decisions are made about what parts of history are saved and shared.

Emotional Heritage

Another book she wrote is Emotional Heritage: Visitor Engagement at Museums and Heritage Sites. This book talks about how people feel when they visit museums or old sites. She explores how emotions like wonder, sadness, or pride connect us to history. She believes that these feelings are a big part of how we learn from the past.

• This book studies how visitors feel at museums.
• It looks at how emotions help us connect with history.
• It helps museums create better experiences for people.

Awards and Recognition

Professor Smith's work is very respected. In 2016, she received a special honor. She was elected a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.

What is a Fellow?

Being a "Fellow" means she is recognized as a top expert in her field. The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia is a group of leading researchers. They study how societies work. Being a Fellow is a big achievement. It shows that her ideas have made a real difference in understanding heritage and culture.

• It is a high honor for researchers.
• It means she is a leader in her field.
• The Academy recognizes important social science work.

Laurajane Smith continues to teach and research. Her work helps us all better understand the past and how it shapes our present.