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
Results 1-5 of 88
Page 24
... Writing in the mid - 1990s , the American historians Joyce Appleby , Lynn Hunt and Margaret Jacob echoed this view ... writer on the subject , ' have suffered a major theoretical challenge to the validity of their subject.'10 Some indeed ...
... Writing in the mid - 1990s , the American historians Joyce Appleby , Lynn Hunt and Margaret Jacob echoed this view ... writer on the subject , ' have suffered a major theoretical challenge to the validity of their subject.'10 Some indeed ...
Page 25
... writing in 1995 , thought this same attitude was ' entirely commendable ' , adding : The theoretical destabilizing ... writing social history in the 1990s , indeed the possibility of writing " history " at all in these postmodern times ...
... writing in 1995 , thought this same attitude was ' entirely commendable ' , adding : The theoretical destabilizing ... writing social history in the 1990s , indeed the possibility of writing " history " at all in these postmodern times ...
Page 34
... Writing on the Writing of History ' , Speculum , Vol . lxi ( 1986 ) , pp . 90-117 , here p . 95 . 9 Lawrence Stone , ' History and Post - Modernism ' , Past and Present 131 ( 1991 ) , pp . 217-18 . 10 Beverley Southgate , History : What ...
... Writing on the Writing of History ' , Speculum , Vol . lxi ( 1986 ) , pp . 90-117 , here p . 95 . 9 Lawrence Stone , ' History and Post - Modernism ' , Past and Present 131 ( 1991 ) , pp . 217-18 . 10 Beverley Southgate , History : What ...
Page 38
... Writing of History , or , " I can't think why it should be so dull , for a great deal of it must be invention ” , Journal of Social History , Vol . 22 ( 1988 ) , pp . 149– 61 , here p . 150 . 26 F. R. Ankersmit , ' Historiography and ...
... Writing of History , or , " I can't think why it should be so dull , for a great deal of it must be invention ” , Journal of Social History , Vol . 22 ( 1988 ) , pp . 149– 61 , here p . 150 . 26 F. R. Ankersmit , ' Historiography and ...
Page
... writing , far from being ' colourless ' , as some thought , was suffused with metaphor.13 His belief that he was writing objective history derived to a great extent from the fact that he based a great deal of his work on the dispatches ...
... writing , far from being ' colourless ' , as some thought , was suffused with metaphor.13 His belief that he was writing objective history derived to a great extent from the fact that he based a great deal of his work on the dispatches ...
Contents
22 | |
Society and the Individual | |
Objectivity and its Limits | |
Afterword | |
Further Reading | |
Index | |
About the Author | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
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