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Summary Tosh Book - Whole
The pursuit of History An English summary Tosh Book
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Voorbeeld van de inhoud
Tosh – 1 History from the 19th century
History from the world view of Ranke and followers. History becomes a profession
(professionalizes). This is important for the development of the subject. History
has now strict rules and is based on evidence. History becomes important in
society, as a school and study subject.
History from the 20th century
Higher/greater specialization, at first political later economic and social history. Everything
can now be studied. Everything is a source(figures, objects)
Leopold von Ranke
Looking through the eyes of the people of the past in order to reconstruct the past.
Literally place themselves in the shoes of the people in the past to understand the past.
Before, the knowledge of the past was used for personal purpose (teaching, changing
reputation). Ranke wanted now to objectively approach the past and distance himself from
present thoughts, values.
Historical awareness
Social memory = vision of the past by a particular group of people. That reflects the
general knowledge of the past (collective memory). A common interpretation of the past
provides a common vision of the past events and strong unity when common
interpretation is widespread (joined origins: foundation myth) and it becomes stronger in
difficult times. When a group does not have a history to legitimize their existence, these
groups may create their own identity and history and the expense of historical accuracy.
Historicism = movement in which the past should be respected and the idea that people
have to look at each period from the norms and values that were then and not from
today’s context (19th century ideology, Germany)
Historical awareness vs Social memory
1. Historical awareness-> respects the autonomy of the past and the past is
reconstructed, so that one can learn from it.
2. Social memory-> selectively looks at the past and does not look the past from is
own context.
Historical awareness is based on:
Difference: recognizing that there is a difference between present and past. The
“otherness” (=how different past is from present) becomes clear. Periodization is required
to identify the difference there is in the past.
Context: one must always see historical events within their historical context of the past,
in order to be able to use it and understand it.
Process: it is important to look at the whole past and its effect it has on the present. To
understand there is a continuous connection. The present is the outcome of the past
process.
, Social memory has 3 beliefs and they create a psychological sense of security:
Tradition: by promising no change.
What was done in the past should serve as an example for the future (a lead to the past). Tradition
prevents and denies change. States of the 19th century used to invent traditions to underline their
existence and legitimacy and to impress others
Nationalism: one of the consequences of the respect of tradition. Nations are product of history,
and it means different things at different times.
Essentialism: the foundation of a nation’s origins, creating an exclusive identity and everything
that contradicts this identity is being filtered.
Nostalgia: by offering an escape to a positive past.
Looking back to the past, but the emphasis is placed on positive aspects of the past only. The
cause of Nostalgia is rapid change, people think that the present is not that good, and hence they
look back to the past that they know. When the past disappears we tend to bring its positive
aspects back.
Progress: be ensuring that everything will be better in the future.
This is the opposite of Nostalgia. The past has made progress and thus the present is better than
the past. Like process, but here the change of the past is always thought to be better. It is an
optimistic belief. Progress looks at the past from a contemporary point of view and this why it
differs from historical awareness. This leads people to disrespect the past.
History and Social memory, postmodernism:
Postmodernism does not see a difference between history and social memory. The desire to bring
back the past is an illusion, because every historical writing is an impression of the past. One can
never look completely objectively at the past, subjectivity is always present (even unconsciously).
It is difficult to separate history from social memory, because:
Some historians have tasks that include Social memory
Some historians have specializations that derive from political history
Some historians have social memory as a field of activity
History and social memory are linked together
Tosh – 2
Metahistory: History is a timeline of events, 2 views:
1. That we are going somewhere. This theory is found in Enlightment and Marxism. According
to these history can helps in the future and that an interpretation of events is needed.
History works with certain mechanisms, that makes it possible to predict what will happen
2. Another view is that nothing can be learned from history. History does not offer any kind of
knowledge about the future. This thinking takes two forms:
There is nothing to say about the future, because history is used for specific
purposes (like legitimizing ideologies)
It does not matter what happened in the past, because the present is better
(progress)
,The rejection of History would lead to an limited interest for historical details and remains that are
not seen in a wider context. The 3 pillars of historical awareness (difference, context, process)
point to ways to use history in order to connect present to past.
Mainstream academic view: An explanation of history can be accomplished without linking it to its
social relevance. Opponents claim that ‘relevant History’ does not harmonize with the historian’s
responsibility to be loyal to the past and objective.
1. Difference (the difference between past and present): the past shows us the actions and
their effect in the past. It’s not the art of finding out what’s been done, but finding out
what else could have been done (alternative scenarios). History is open and influenced by
contingency, often goes to a statement of how it should have happened, while in the past
it is not how it occurred. According to difference past could have taken another turn.
The comparison of strange and familiar things from the past is an important aspect of
history. The ability to spot the difference between these two is important:
Continuity-> having the same origins, no change throughout time (ex.
Relationship parent-child)
Change->something that has indeed changed and seems now strange (ex. Public
hangings)
The historian can help to see the present and the future by understanding how the past made our
world and society today. Difference provides a perspective on present by:
Showing experiences from the past
Serving as proof of the shortness of our time
As a reminder of the unknown elements in the present
2. Context: a broad context is needed to understand an event of the past, without it’s
context an event would be something out of the ordinary and could add little knowledge
about the past. To get a clear picture of an event, it should be placed and seen in a
broader context. History does not repeat itself. But one could argue that by following
certain patterns, history is likely to repeat itself. In historical histories the context is the
same and the events are known, it’s dangerous to make a comparisons with a long gone
past (like Ancient) to today or a later event, because the context is not the same. One
could be using the wrong example from the past. History does not repeat itself, because
one can recognize the causes that caused a particular event and compare them to a
present situation. When something happens, it has never happened like this before,
because the context is different.
3. Process: it can helps us understand and explain the contemporary world. It’s a way to get
an insight, not meant for opinion formation or a better world. Present is an unfolding
process, we are a part of history, our expectations of the future is way of looking at the
past. There are 2 kinds of predictions:
Sequential predictions: consecutive predictions that come from historical research
Repetitive/Recurrent predictions: repeating processes that present Process in the
present.
Key role of thinking in Process: providing alternatives and assuming permanence and timelessness
for social identities. Black History has to be given the right place in history instead of an incorrect
mythical construction. Also one has to critically look at a source and not just take things over.
Often change is seen as fundamental, while Process of history is the next phase that follows the
phase we see as fundamental. And the phase that follows will see the previous phase as
fundamental.
To conclude:
, Difference: is the difference between present and past, not what has been done before, but
what we could have done more, or what could have happened. It is a stock of past
examples.
Context: see history in a broader context, careful when making a comparison. Context is
never the same
Process: see history as an ongoing process. Process helps us to understand the present by
looking at the past. One offers an alternative to the “timelessness” which has many
identities. Changes are different phases in history.
Contemporary/Present History
The research for certain problems or the formulation of a specific research question is often
influenced by contemporary problems or events in present society. Areas where little research has
been done have the risk of being influenced by ideologies of by getting absorbed. The historian can
prevent this by providing a historical perspective to the situation. The priorities in the present
determine the questions that are set in history. There will always be numerous questions about the
past, but some are more applicable than other at certain times. Society expects an interpretation
of the past that is useful of the present and can form a basis for making decisions in the future,
this is the work of a historian. Historians are the only ones that can provide society with a
historical perspective that is free of historical myths. If historians didn’t do this, there would be
wrong image of the past among societies.
Historians must mix themselves in public history because otherwise society will make its own
conclusions, which would be false. Historians must thus take the responsibility and provide society
with a correct historical perspective. This is established with:
Museums with historical information
Historians having a role in lawsuits
Reaching a wide audience with newspapers, magazines, books
Reaching the whole world (with internet)
Contemporary History: period of history that lies within the human memory, usually begins at the
end of the Cold War (1989-1992). This period is still relatively close and thus many confidential
documents that provide crucial information have not yet been released to the general public. This
leads to predictions and analogues and possible errors.
Tosh – 3
Due to the huge range of subjects in society that need to be studied, it is necessary to format. The
choice for a specific period is determined by:
1. Social relevance
2. Research techniques
3. Theoretical knowledge that has other disciplines in history
Historiography = History of history, the study of the methods historians use in developing history
as an academic discipline.
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