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). |
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Page 22
... particular ideas and ideologies to bear on the past. Against Carr's relativistic approach to historical study, it is a common tactic to pit G. R. Elton's The Practice of History, published in 1967. Elton's book mounts a trenchant ...
... particular ideas and ideologies to bear on the past. Against Carr's relativistic approach to historical study, it is a common tactic to pit G. R. Elton's The Practice of History, published in 1967. Elton's book mounts a trenchant ...
Page 23
... particular historians and the ways in which they either lived up to or (more commonly) fell short of the ideals he proclaimed. While Carr championed a sociological approach to the past, Elton declared that any serious historical work ...
... particular historians and the ways in which they either lived up to or (more commonly) fell short of the ideals he proclaimed. While Carr championed a sociological approach to the past, Elton declared that any serious historical work ...
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... particular disease . These analogies with scientific method point up the fact that when source - criticism was introduced into historical study , it too was regarded as a ' scientific ' technique . Its use legitimated history as an ...
... particular disease . These analogies with scientific method point up the fact that when source - criticism was introduced into historical study , it too was regarded as a ' scientific ' technique . Its use legitimated history as an ...
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... particular by the liberal Italian thinker Benedetto Croce and his English counterpart R. G. Collingwood . In doing so , they were echoing pre - war German philosophers such as Wilhelm Dilthey , who had begun to take a sceptical view of ...
... particular by the liberal Italian thinker Benedetto Croce and his English counterpart R. G. Collingwood . In doing so , they were echoing pre - war German philosophers such as Wilhelm Dilthey , who had begun to take a sceptical view of ...
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... particular beliefs which he might have held , or political principles with which he might have clashed . In this way , Namier's rapier - like scholarship deflated and destroyed the Whig interpretation of British history by puncturing it ...
... particular beliefs which he might have held , or political principles with which he might have clashed . In this way , Namier's rapier - like scholarship deflated and destroyed the Whig interpretation of British history by puncturing it ...
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