In Defense of HistoryA master practitioner gives us an entertaining tour of the historian's workshop and a spirited defense of the search for historical truth. E. H. Carr's What Is History?, a classic introduction to the field, may now give way to a worthy successor. In his compact, intriguing survey, Richard J. Evans shows us how historians manage to extract meaning from the recalcitrant past. To materials that are frustratingly meager, or overwhelmingly profuse, they bring an array of tools that range from agreed-upon rules of documentation and powerful computer models to the skilled investigator's sudden insight, all employed with the aim of reconstructing a verifiable, usable past. Evans defends this commitment to historical knowledge from the attacks of postmodernist critics who see all judgments as subjective. Evans brings "a remarkable range, a nose for the archives, a taste for controversy, and a fluent pen" (The New Republic) to this splendid work. "Essential reading for coming generations."-Keith Thomas |
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Page 3
... theory, which has called into question many, if not most, of the arguments put forward by both of them.' Instead of causes, which Carr regarded as central to historical scholarship, the "linguistic turn" has given us discourses. History ...
... theory, which has called into question many, if not most, of the arguments put forward by both of them.' Instead of causes, which Carr regarded as central to historical scholarship, the "linguistic turn" has given us discourses. History ...
Page 6
... of history "disorienting" and might "even be persuaded that the history of the historians is worthless."28 Postmodernist ideas, he declared, were a "menace to serious historical study."" Theories which 6 IN DEFENSE OF HISTORY.
... of history "disorienting" and might "even be persuaded that the history of the historians is worthless."28 Postmodernist ideas, he declared, were a "menace to serious historical study."" Theories which 6 IN DEFENSE OF HISTORY.
Page 7
... Theories which "suggest that historians are in the business of creating — not discovering or interpreting — historical meaning," added two historians from the University of Pennsylvania, "undermine our authority, the mystique of our ...
... Theories which "suggest that historians are in the business of creating — not discovering or interpreting — historical meaning," added two historians from the University of Pennsylvania, "undermine our authority, the mystique of our ...
Page 8
... theory and practice of their own discipline but also have wider implications that go far beyond the boundaries of academic and university life. In this sense, the problem of how historians approach the acquisition of knowledge about the ...
... theory and practice of their own discipline but also have wider implications that go far beyond the boundaries of academic and university life. In this sense, the problem of how historians approach the acquisition of knowledge about the ...
Page 9
... theory of history at a level that a trained philosopher would consider acceptable. On the other hand, the level of abstraction at which most studies of historical episte- mology operate is so theoretical, so far removed from actual ...
... theory of history at a level that a trained philosopher would consider acceptable. On the other hand, the level of abstraction at which most studies of historical episte- mology operate is so theoretical, so far removed from actual ...
Contents
13 | |
History Science and Morality | 39 |
Historians and Their Facts | 65 |
Sources and Discourses | 89 |
Causation in History | 111 |
Society and the Individual | 139 |
Knowledge and Power | 165 |
Objectivity and Its Limits | 193 |
Notes | 221 |
Further Reading | 253 |
Index | 273 |
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Common terms and phrases
Abraham American historian American Historical Review Ankersmit Annales school Appleby approach argued argument Arthur Marwick belief Britain British Cambridge Carr's causes claim concept contemporary course critics critique cultural debate declared Deconstructing discipline discourse documents Dominick LaCapra E. H. Carr England English European evidence example Frank Ankersmit French Geoffrey Elton Hayden White historians historical fact historical knowledge historical profession historical research historical scholarship Historiography History and Post-Modernism History London Holocaust denial human Ibid ideas ideology Intellectual History interpretation Journal Joyce Keith Jenkins kind LaCapra language Lawrence Stone linguistic turn literary Marxist material meaning methods modern moral Moreover Munslow Namier narrative Novick objective Oxford past perspective postmodernism postmodernist practice present Purkiss R. G. Collingwood Revolution rians scientific sense Sir Geoffrey Elton Social History social sciences society sources theory things thought tion torians torical tory traditional truth written