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 19
... turn my rough ideas on history and its current predicament into a book. During the many rewritings and reworkings of the text since then I have had the benefit of constructive criticism from many people, but I would especially like to ...
... turn my rough ideas on history and its current predicament into a book. During the many rewritings and reworkings of the text since then I have had the benefit of constructive criticism from many people, but I would especially like to ...
Page 22
... turn. Currently the field is held by two books published thirty or more years ago, by the British historians Edward Hallett Carr and Sir Geoffrey Elton. E. H. Carr's What is History? has been widely used as an introduction to historical ...
... turn. Currently the field is held by two books published thirty or more years ago, by the British historians Edward Hallett Carr and Sir Geoffrey Elton. E. H. Carr's What is History? has been widely used as an introduction to historical ...
Page 23
... turn' has given us discourses. And history is widely argued to be only one discourse among many. The notion of scientific history, based on the rigorous investigation of primary sources, has been 6 vehemently attacked . Increasing ...
... turn' has given us discourses. And history is widely argued to be only one discourse among many. The notion of scientific history, based on the rigorous investigation of primary sources, has been 6 vehemently attacked . Increasing ...
Page 27
... turn in contemporary thought ' invited everyone to ' see history not as a record of the past , more or less faithful to the facts ' , but ' as an invention , or fiction , of historians themselves'.22 He made it clear that this was ...
... turn in contemporary thought ' invited everyone to ' see history not as a record of the past , more or less faithful to the facts ' , but ' as an invention , or fiction , of historians themselves'.22 He made it clear that this was ...
Page 33
... James Vernon , ' Who's afraid of the " linguistic turn " ? The politics of social history and its discontents ' , Social History , Vol . 19 ( 1994 ) , pp . 81–97 , here pp . 96–7 ; and Neville Kirk , ' History , language , ideas and post.
... James Vernon , ' Who's afraid of the " linguistic turn " ? The politics of social history and its discontents ' , Social History , Vol . 19 ( 1994 ) , pp . 81–97 , here pp . 96–7 ; and Neville Kirk , ' History , language , ideas and post.
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