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
... nature of history. He challenges and undermines the belief, brought to university by too many students on leaving school, that history is simply a matter of objective fact. He introduces the idea that history books, like the people who ...
... nature of history. He challenges and undermines the belief, brought to university by too many students on leaving school, that history is simply a matter of objective fact. He introduces the idea that history books, like the people who ...
Page 28
... nature of truth, the difficulties involved in distinguishing between fact and fiction – do not merely challenge historians to re-examine the theory and practice of their own discipline, they also have wider implications that go far ...
... nature of truth, the difficulties involved in distinguishing between fact and fiction – do not merely challenge historians to re-examine the theory and practice of their own discipline, they also have wider implications that go far ...
Page 29
... nature of historical explanation is a topic best left to the philosophers . How we know about the past , what historical causation is , how we define a historical fact , whether there is such a thing as historical truth or objectivity ...
... nature of historical explanation is a topic best left to the philosophers . How we know about the past , what historical causation is , how we define a historical fact , whether there is such a thing as historical truth or objectivity ...
Page 30
... nature of historical knowledge and explanation at all. It should come as no surprise that Sir Geoffrey Elton was among them. Drawing up the disciplinary drawbridge once again, he declared: 'There is no reason why great historians (or ...
... nature of historical knowledge and explanation at all. It should come as no surprise that Sir Geoffrey Elton was among them. Drawing up the disciplinary drawbridge once again, he declared: 'There is no reason why great historians (or ...
Page 31
... nature of the project in which they are engaged . The more this happens , the better . As a group of three American historians announced in a recent book : ' It is time we historians took responsibility for explaining what we do , how ...
... nature of the project in which they are engaged . The more this happens , the better . As a group of three American historians announced in a recent book : ' It is time we historians took responsibility for explaining what we do , how ...
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