In Defence of History“A lucid, muscular, and often sly reflection” on the worth and purpose of historical scholarship by the award-winning author of The Third Reich Trilogy (Kirkus). In this volume, the renowned historian Richard J. Evans offers a fervent and deeply insightful defense of his craft and its importance to civilization. At a time when fact and historical truth are under unprecedented assault, Evans shows us why history is necessary. Taking us into the historians’ workshop, he offers a firsthand look at how good history gets written. In staunch opposition to the wilder claims of postmodern historians, Evans thoroughly dismantles the notion that a realistic grasp of history is impossible to attain. He then goes on to explain the deadly political dangers of losing a historical perspective on the way we live our lives. In the tradition of E.H. Carr’s What Is History? and G.R. Elton’s The Practice of History, Evans’ In Defense of History delivers “a model of lucid and intelligent historiographical analysis” (The Guardian, UK). |
From inside the book
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Page 22
... historians are being compelled to address these questions afresh. Of course, there have been many attempts to tackle them in the past. But whatever the intellectual climate, they need to be confronted by every new generation of historians ...
... historians are being compelled to address these questions afresh. Of course, there have been many attempts to tackle them in the past. But whatever the intellectual climate, they need to be confronted by every new generation of historians ...
Page 23
... historian before they studied his 'facts', Elton told his audience to focus above all on the documentary record, the ultimate arbiter of historical accuracy and truth, and to leave historians and their motives to themselves. While Elton ...
... historian before they studied his 'facts', Elton told his audience to focus above all on the documentary record, the ultimate arbiter of historical accuracy and truth, and to leave historians and their motives to themselves. While Elton ...
Page 24
... historians at the end of the twentieth century are haunted by a sense of gloom . The intellectual historian David Harlan , writing in 1989 , for example , thought that historical studies were undergoing ' an extended epistemological ...
... historians at the end of the twentieth century are haunted by a sense of gloom . The intellectual historian David Harlan , writing in 1989 , for example , thought that historical studies were undergoing ' an extended epistemological ...
Page 25
... historian James Vernon similarly complained in 1994 about his colleagues ' ' general air of complacency ' about postmodernism . ' While elsewhere , ' he noted , ' historians are at least discussing the problems of writing social history ...
... historian James Vernon similarly complained in 1994 about his colleagues ' ' general air of complacency ' about postmodernism . ' While elsewhere , ' he noted , ' historians are at least discussing the problems of writing social history ...
Page 27
... historians is worthless'.23 Postmodernist ideas , he declared , were a ' menace to serious historical study'.24 Theories which ' suggest that historians are in the business of creating not discovering or interpreting - historical ...
... historians is worthless'.23 Postmodernist ideas , he declared , were a ' menace to serious historical study'.24 Theories which ' suggest that historians are in the business of creating not discovering or interpreting - historical ...
Contents
22 | |
Society and the Individual | |
Objectivity and its Limits | |
Afterword | |
Further Reading | |
Index | |
About the Author | |
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Abraham academic American Historical Review Appleby approach argued argument Arthur Marwick belief Britain British Cambridge Carr's century claim concept contemporary critics critique cultural David debate Defence of History Derrida discipline discourse documents E. H. Carr E. P. Thompson Easthope economic history England Evans evidence example fact Frank Ankersmit French G. M. Trevelyan Geoffrey Elton German Hayden White historians historical knowledge historical profession historical scholarship historical writing Historiography History and Post-Modernism History London Holocaust Holocaust denial Hugh Trevor-Roper Hunt and Jacob ibid ideas ideology Intellectual History Intelligent Person's Guide interpretation J. H. Hexter Keith Jenkins kind LaCapra language Lawrence Stone linguistic turn literary Marxist meaning modern moral Namier narrative Noble Dream Novick objectivity Oxford past Patrick Joyce political postmodernism postmodernist present Purkiss quoted reality Revolution scientific sense Social History social sciences society sources thought Trevelyan Vincent written Zeldin