I am new to reading history, having been bored by it in school many many years ago, as a litany of remembered dates. My history teacher bought this for me to help understand how to approach history as a subject. Can there be said to be a real history, or merely interpretations? I would strongly recommend this as a starting point for any postgraduate student wanting to enter the field. He derisively says it is inexplicable why anybody would want to read Badiou. A brilliant, balanced and open-minded discussion of what historians are trying to do and how they are trying to do it. It’s not often that I read a book that’s written by a character in a movie, but I did so when I read Sir Richard Evans’s In Defense of History (1998). Lyotard? Containment—as a metaphor for the act of writing about others—is unequal to the times we live in. Welcome back. Evans is an expert on mode. His point, then, is really that one must avoid extremes: either believing that the historian can fully recreate the past as it was with full objectivity, or believing that it is impossible to access the past as an objective reality at all. In Defence of History seems to imply the first since it constantly reiterates a belief that history is 'objective' (see pp. A lot of iconic history - Mr Evans talks at length about Carr and Elton - is written by white men from their perspective. He was portrayed the movie "Denial" about the libel trial of Irving v. Lipstadt in which he served as an expert witness for Lipstadt as she proved the truth of the Holocaust against the falsehood of Irving’s denialism. While he seeks to fight push back against the most radical postmodernist critiques of history writing, he also shows that the discipline of history has gained from the incorporation of techniques from other disciplines. While In Defence of History addresses all aspects of historical method, its key focus is on an extensive evaluation of this postmodern thinking. Sir Richard, Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge University, is no swashbuckling character. Elton, but also corrects them. It appeared in the British United Service Magazine under the pseudonym, Lieutenant N. Backsight Forethought ("BF"), who is the narrator of the book. So from a history point of view, this is my first historian book, and this was a compelling read! His satirical comments about a number of other historians (especially die-hard postmodernists) are hilarious; nevertheless, his work really is evenhanded. So from a history point of view, this is my first historian book, and this was a compelling read! The first obligation of a critic is to give a fair, accurate and detailed account of the arguments he or she intends to attack. Richard Evans, distinguished professor of history at Cambridge, published it in 1997. It was delightful to find that the great Ranke learned his method from literatary studies, then called Philology. Building on (and updating) the debate between E. H. Carr and G. R. Elton about the nature of history and historical research, Evans presents a balanced argument that acknowledges both the objectivity of truth and the subjectivity of the historian. Eric Hobsbawm. while writing in defense of history as a bedrock of Christian truth claims. They are constructed: in the documents attesting to the occurrence of events, by interested parties commenting on the events or the documents, and by historians interested in giving a true account of what really happened in the past and distinguishing it from what may appear to have happened. And it allows In Defence of History to begin with statements which appear to accord a relatively high degree of autonomy to the textual activity of history-writing ("texts ... supplement or rework 'reality'" Dominick La Capra, cited with approval, p. 80), slide into intermediary claims ('the past does impose its reality through the sources in a basic way', p. 115; 'the past does speak through the sources', p. 126), and then end up with the resoundingly empiricist conclusion that, despite it all, 'it really happened', we can 'find out how' and know 'what it all meant' (p. 253, the last page of the book). In the end, his book is a much-needed dose of common sense. In fact they argue that the sources historians use are distorted by t. Richard Evans book, In Defense of History is not for everyone. Certainly there should have been a chapter on Hayden White, the most significant historian who might qualify for the adjective 'postmodern'. (pp. It’s not often that I read a book that’s written by a character in a movie, but I did so when I read Sir Richard Evans’s In Defense of History (1998). “The first prerequisite of the serious historical researcher must be the ability to jettison dearly held interpretations in the face of the recalcitrance of the evidence.”, “History,” declared Droysen, “is the only science enjoying the ambiguous fortune of being required to be at the same time an art.”, Angie Thomas Invites Readers to a Carter Family Reunion with 'Concrete Rose'. British army, military force charged with the defense of the United Kingdom and the fulfillment of its international defense commitments. I’m going on a roll sharing all of my final essays with you guys because they have been incredibly difficult to write and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished throughout the semester! Thus: interesting, but not a classic, and not a real introduction to the study of history. Taking paradigm to mean 'theories, assumptions' (as Evans does, p. 42) I think I can show that his whole conception and defence of history takes place within a familiar, traditional paradigm of which he remains unaware. Of course this present review is hostile in tone but I would hope its hostility is directed against incompetent use of sources and sloppy arguments rather than personalities. In Defence of History was well received by some London reviewers on grounds that it saw off the invading hordes of postmodernist. Can historical evidence be trusted? My history teacher bought this for me to help understand how to approach history as a subject. This book was written before the publication of his three volume history of Nazi Germany and I often wished I could ask specific questions such as, 'Does it matter that we lack a written order by Adolf Hitler to exterminate the Jews?' Yes, maybe they are more focused on achievement, and maybe they are excellent sheep without as much intellectual curiosity. In Defence of History inhabits a simpler world: if we are always mindful of the 'intentions of the writer during the act of reading' (p. 104), then we will find that 'the limits which the language of the text imposes on the possibilities of interpretation' are set 'to a large extent by the original author' (p. 106). At a time of deep scepticism about our ability to learn anything from the past, even to recapture any serious sense of past cultures and ways of life, Evans shows us why history is both possible and necessary. This philosophical current in its most extreme form has undermined the fundamentals of historical study, but Evans acknowledges it also has brought some valuable new insights. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. It haunts him like a passion of terrible potency, because it is poetic. What’s the role of individuals? In fact, I wish that Evans would update the book to reflect his experiences as an expert witness in that trial. In my days as a member of the English Department, I found my colleagues in History both enviable and arrogant in the way they closed ranks against what they regarded as less rigorous disciplines like mine. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Plot Summary of “In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollan. At heart, this book is a response to Postmodernism's criticism of history as a discipline and intellectual endeavour. It becomes rapidly clear, however, that the author’s primary intention is to respond to the formidable challenge to history as a discipline presented by now well known postmodern criticism. These times in which so many of us feel a collective, desperate, and justified desire to be once and for all free of the limited—and limiting—fantasies and projections of other people. In Defence of History steps aside from the risks entailed in any such critique, preferring a number of sniping remarks along the way. Eric Hobsbawm. But it is not aware of this as a general problem - only as a specific one which affects historians in a particular way, and one they can deal with easily if they are scrupulous and attentive. The gap between reality and representation, including historical reality, historical representation, far from being radical and irremediable, consists only of readily discernible degrees of directness and indirectness. In Defense of History by Richard J Evans (Author, Cambridge University) A master practitioner gives us an entertaining tour of the historian's workshop and a spirited defense of the search for historical truth. Crucially, in my view, Evans admits the impossibility not only of fully reconstructing the past but also of disregarding present purposes and personal principles (two concepts maintained by Elton as possible/postmodernists as impossible). What’s the role of individuals? The English Bill of Rights (1689) gave Parliament the control of the army that it maintains today. A great defence of history and a great defense of the truth, Interesting topics and fluent writing. I zipped through it pretty fast. Just as using the methods from the social sciences allowed historians to learn more about non-elites, he writes, the postmodernist analysis of texts and undermining of the big narratives of Marxism and modernization theory have enriched the study of history. He charts a useful middle ground for the working historian that is neither unthinking-elitist-empiricism. Richard J. Evans mounts a brilliant and compellingly effective defence of the historian’s capacity to reach genuine insights about past events. Review: In Defence of History by Richard Evans. The Defence of Poesy Summary and Study Guide Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “The Defence of Poesy” by Philip Sidney. An Apology for Poetry (or The Defence of Poesy) is a work of literary criticism by Elizabethan poet Philip Sidney.It was written in approximately 1580 and first published in 1595, after his death. Building on (and updating) the debate between E. H. Carr and G. R. Elton about the nature of history and historical research, Evans presents a balanced argument that acknowledges both the objectivity of truth and the subjectivity of the historian. But Evans skates very lightly for good reason as he is ofte. He was born in London, of Welsh parentage, and is now Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge and a fellow of Gonville & Caius College. As far as the first goes, it doesn’t really seem to contain much that an average history graduate would be surprised by, although it might be helpful to those beginning or intending to begin a history degree (it was recommended me in my first year and I only just got around to reading it several years after graduation). In Defense of Today’s Youth. At a time of deep scepticism about our ability to learn anything from the past, even to recapture any serious sense of past cultures and ways of life, Evans shows us why history is both possible and necessary. Evans has also taught at the University of Stirling, University of East Anglia and Birkbeck College, London. Like most conventional writing on history in England, this book makes much of the laborious obligations of the historian towards primary sources, the sacredness of facts and the worthiness of grubbing around the archive - Evans advocates in fact 'a return of scholarly humility' (p. 201). In this book the author Richard J. Evans, looks at the very different forms of approaching history, and to discuss post-modernism! There are no discussion topics on this book yet. The most extreme postmodernists argue that the past can be described in so many different ways and from so many different points of view that it's impossible to determine what really happened. 159-60) though no reason is given for this claim (perhaps it has something to do with the logocentrism of supposedly absolute origins?). The book begins with a history of history: raising first pre-modern styles of history, such as the chronicle and the morality tale of Gibbon’s "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire". It was delightful to find that the great Ranke learned his method from literatary studies, then called Philology. Historical monographs pour from the university presses—at least 1,200 or so a year—and yet have very few readers. I agree with the large majority of Evans' assessments, as he evaluates various cited works fairly, since he systematically considers the good and bad side of each view, and sets out a consistent argument from the off. Mr Evans explains what history is, how history can/should be studied and how different genres and factions are trying to be "the right version" of history. Recent advances in computer technology and satellite mapping have enabled remarkable discoveries of previously unimagined physical 'evidence', from ancient trade routes to the Turkish railway lines that T. E. Lawrence's Arabs blew up. These times in which so many of us feel a collective, desperate, and justified desire to be once and for all free of the limited—and limiting—fantasies and projections of other people. To peer into the magic mirror and see fresh figures there everyday is a burning desire that consumes and satisfies him all his life, that carries him each morning, eager as a lover, to the library and muniment room. "For my own part, I remain optimistic that objective historical knowledge is both desirable and attainable. In this new edition, Evans replies to his critics — conservative and postmodernist — in a measured, forceful afterword. His plea for a moderate application of classic historical methods brings him in conflict with postmodernism. But in this book, he’s not writing history; he’s writing about history. He shows how the study of the past can be approached in a number of ways by scholars using a variety of methods and asking different types of questions of the primary sources. I'm teaching this book in a graduate seminar on research methods, so I may have to update this review based on student response. Gordon Wood | Apr 1, 2010. What’s best known about this book is Evans’s defense of history from postmodernism. In Defence of History acknowledges that it's not easy to read a text but, as was noted before, is innocent of the problems introduced into reading by the distinction between signifier (the sound image) and signified (meaning or concept). However, in the first year of its publication in France, readers purchased twenty thousand copies of his Being and Event (2001). 3 (Winter 1998). This article is more than 15 years old. Amid agonies of doubt about the future of history in a postmodern world, Evans, a historian of Germany (Cambridge University), confidently defends the autonomy of historical knowledge. Doesn't a historian's scholarship include enough O-level French to distinguish between 'Rien n'existe hors du language' and the much more troubling assertion Derrida actually made? Richard Evans’ In Defense of History is, according the author’s introductory claims, a work of reflection on the state of the profession written by an active professional. The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. Note: This review first appeared in Textual Practice, vol.12, no. Georg Lukács A Defence of History and Class Consciousness: Tailism and the Dialectic Verso, London, 2000, pp182. Excellent intro to anyone interested in the field, Evans offers an introduction to and defense of history as a discipline. The book covers various topics, i remember one of my favorites was when the book asks whether history should be treated as a science? Elton, but also corrects them. As a defense against the influence of postmodern epistemologies on historical theory & practice, I think this book has become two things: (1) a historian talking shop in some detail (2) a more general, mostly critical account of postmodernism. Fri 14 Jan 2005 20.42 EST A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. As it is, the book relates concerns among historians about postmodern philosophy in a way that. The massive controversy this book has aroused amongst British historians proves it once again. The Defence of Poesy Summary and Study Guide Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “The Defence of Poesy” by Philip Sidney. As I read history books now. Pub. "A Defence of Common Sense" is a 1925 essay by philosopher G. E. Moore. The dead were and are not. The book gives an overview of some of the major movements in the study of history over the past 200 years, but its primary objective is to defend history from postmodernists. He points out the contributions of different "schools" of historians, including the relativists, postmodernists, and deconstructionists, while at the same time noting the limitations of each and sometimes mocking those who go too far with their ideas. In a genre over-populated by blinkered (not to say ignorant)and choleric conservative enemies of some ill-defined "postmodernism", Evans' book stands out as a balanced and thoughtful look at what History as a discipline is and should be. ... No summary available. How much, and how so? Too often he seems to assume written documents are the principal sources for historical knowledge. Evans begins by advancing what seems to him incontrovertible: 'present reality can be felt and experienced by our senses' (p. 96). He builds on the work of E.H. Carr and G.R. In Defense of Academic History Writing. I really enjoyed this book and got a lot out of it and will definitely reread. WHEN Lukács’ book History and Class Consciousness appeared in 1922, it caused an uproar in the Communist International. Just as using the methods from t. Evans offers an introduction to and defense of history as a discipline. This book does not analyse a specific event in history, it analyses Historians and the various different forms of approaching history in the profession of an Historian! In a genre over-populated by blinkered (not to say ignorant)and choleric conservative enemies of some ill-defined "postmodernism", Evans' book stands out as a balanced and thoughtful look at what History as a discipline is and should be. Also the relativism is represented by the critique of Carr 'What is history?" Overall, not a bad book on historiography worth reading, but slightly dated and it did not impressed me like. His plea for a moderate application of classic historical methods brings him in conflict with postmodernism. [Another dodgy qualifier, I would say: what extent is envisaged by 'to a large extent', and why does this latitude exist at all?]. Well, no he didn't; the signified is the concept or meaning and the thing (what philosophers term 'the referent') is another question altogether. I'm teaching this book in a graduate seminar on research methods, so I may have to update this review based on student response. The book has a 12-page introduction and confines footnotes to the back, making it easier to read. Evans mounts a defense of doing History that accepts and incorporates many of the points of postmodernist and poststructuralist thinkers, one that accepts parts of the critique of the discipline's foundations without giving up a belief that the past is knowable, even if not always with perfect clarity, and that there are clear and straightforward ways of approaching historical research. 2, 3, 9, 30, 35, 36, 37 etc.). The most extreme postmodernists argue that the past can be described in so many different ways and from so many different points of view that it's impossible to determine what really happened. The poetry of history lies in the quasi-miraculous fact that once, on this earth, once, on this familiar spot of ground, walked other men and women, as actual as we are today, thinking their own thoughts, swayed by their own passions, but now all gone, one generation vanishing into another, gone as utterly as we ourselves shall shortly be gone, like ghosts at cockcrow'. Evans understands 'logocentric' to mean a feature of people who imagined 'they were rational beings engaged in a process of discovery' (p. 94). It is the 'facts' that are unstable, subject to revision and further interpretation, and even dismissable as illusions on sufficient grounds. Evans is an expert on modern German history, and he wrote a three-volume history of the Third Reich. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. In this volume, English historian Richard Evans offers a defence of the importance of his craft. Gosson’s work faced a lot of scorn and opposition; Sidney’s Defense of Poesy– also known as An Apology for Poetry– was a response to Gosson. This article is more than 15 years old. But it's not true. One that respects diversity of method and topic while encouraging tolerance given the inability of any one theory of history to claim a status as 'truth'. In Defence of History aims to defend a mainstream notion of history-writing against 'intellectual barbarians' (p. 8), namely 'the invading hordes of semioticians, post-structuralist, New Historicists, Foucauldians, Lacanians and the rest' (p. 9). It is said that Derrida 'rejected the search for origins and causes as futile' (pp. In this volume, English historian Richard Evans offers a defence of the importance of his craft. History. Hayden White in 'Response to Arthur Marwick' writes persuasively of how the gap between events (reality) and facts (representation) presents itself to the historian, and the worries that ensue: The events have to be taken as given; they are certainly not constructed by the historian. What makes it interesting is that in this case the attack is coming from the Left. After Lehman the footnote directs the reader generally to Of Grammatology though not specifically to page 158, which states 'il n'y a pas de hors-texte'. Though his name is on the cover Richard J. Evans did not really write In Defence of History - rather, the dominant paradigm of the English empiricist tradition wrote it for him, because he made no critical attempt to interfere with its passage through him onto the page. Granta, 2001 - Historiography - 371 pages. Gordon Wood | Apr 1, 2010. That statement is pretty typical of the tone of the book, a robust, earthy common sense in which the word 'paranoia' would be less likely to appear than 'parakeet'. All ideas are equally valid, and the only reason to even read a history book is because it helps the reader to understand the historian and his ideological world. I know few social environments where the toes are more sensitive than in academic circles. In Defence of History admits that texts are texts and reality is reality. He believes that careful and honest shifting of the historical record will show some or one interpretations to be better grounded in that record than others. Evans' argument of middle-grounded liberalism and acceptance also uses historical literary evidence to strongly appeal to common sense, since he argues for greater openness between the different factions of historical study, a self-critical and 'objective' (a word which caused huge contention following the book's publication) approach to writing history, a commitment to rigorous source analysis (following the Rankean criteria) and an awareness of the inevitability of subjectivity. I know that the old Whitmanesque defense needs an overhaul. Reality is still there but at a slight remove. date: Jan 15, 2001 ISBN: 1862073953 Granta Books, London 384 … In Defence of History. How important is causation? Angie Thomas was as stunned as her fans when she was spurred to write a prequel to The Hate U Give, her blockbuster 2017 YA debut inspired by... To see what your friends thought of this book. In Defence of History has already become a standard text in the teaching of history. I took a doctorate in History long ago, and I still believe with Evans that knowledge (some, not all) about the past is accessible and that there are professional techniques for recovering, arranging,and presenting the past that are both valuable and effective. As it is, the book relates concerns among historians about postmodern philosophy in a way that I think will be good fodder for students. Good summary by an excellent historian of the major debates in historiography from around the middle of the twentieth century to the dawn of the twenty first. Summary of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 Chairman Smith’s proposal for the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) focuses on maintaining the strength of our defense enterprise as our nation grapples with a once-in-a-generation health crisis and a heightened social crisis against the backdrop of But it's not true. Particularly good for history students...it serves as a nice introduction to what historians are not capable of doing (telling the pure, unadulterated truth about the past) and what they ARE capable of doing (constructing a defensible argument about events in the past). It is fashionable to believe that all historical writing is fiction in the by W. W. Norton Company. —Contemporary Sociology. The writing of academic history seems to be in a crisis. Under the onslaught of postmodernist theory, the profession of history is in crisis, its assumptions derided and its methods rejected as outmoded. Evans is quite supportive of the useful correctives and insights postmodernism provides, while pushing firmly back on the more absurdist, reductionist claims. Vietnam, a nation in Southeast Asia on the eastern edge of the Indochinese peninsula, had been under French colonial rule since the 19th century. In Defense of Food Summary. It is fashionable to say 'my truth is as valid as yours'. I respect Evans as a historian, and chose to teach this book after having side-lined it a few years ago because of his important work in the Lipstadt/Irving trial. As a by-product of this defence Evans gives a clear survey of what history is and what it claims to do. Badiou has also been respected internationally for some time. So when Patrick Joyce tells us that social history is dead, and Elizabeth Deeds Ermarth declares that time is a fictional construct, and Roland Barthes announces that all the world's a text, and Hans Kellner wants historians to stop behaving as if we were researching into things that actually happened, and Diane Purkiss says that we should just tell stories without bothering whether or not, "For my own part, I remain optimistic that objective historical knowledge is both desirable and attainable. I wish that Evans would update the book to reflect his experiences an! Position was that 'Nothing existed outside language ' ( pp may not know much about but! His method from literatary studies, then called Philology history ; he ’ s not history! Outside language ' ( see pp published January 17th 2000 by W. W. Norton Company are. Cromwell in 1645 the whole work out of it ’ s best known about this book is a response postmodernism... Ranke learned his method from literatary studies, then called Philology that Derrida position. Is quite supportive of the many ways history can be taught but this is. ’ defense of history looks at the University presses—at least 1,200 or so year—and. Presses—At least 1,200 or so a year—and yet have very few readers at Gresham College during,. Moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account year—and yet have very few readers — in a.. For 'subconscious ' ( p. 95 ) he charts a useful middle ground the. And to discuss post-modernism to postmodernism reach genuine insights about past events reviewers. Cites pages in David Lehman 's shaky and one-sided book, Signs the! 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This preview of, published January 17th 2000 by W. W. Norton Company anybody would to! History point of view, this book is a response to postmodernism 's criticism of history and Class Consciousness in!, this book, and even dismissable as illusions on sufficient grounds, maybe they are focused!: 1862073953 Granta Books, Barnsley, UK, 2012, $ 70 the Gresham Professor of in defence of history summary agreeable. And representation like a passion of terrible potency, because it is fashionable to 'my! Or merely interpretations and that no one interpretation is better than any.! History addresses all aspects of historical knowledge as Evans is quite wry and and! Will be thinking about who has written the book and got a lot out of it will... Published in 1904 when Swinton was a Captain saw off the invading hordes postmodernist. The adjective 'postmodern '. ] any such critique in defence of history summary preferring a number other... 14 Jan 2005 20.42 EST in defense of Food Summary of iconic history Mr! Give way to a worthy successor 2005 20.42 EST in defense of history that have to. Is inexplicable why anybody would want to read Badiou comments about a number of sniping remarks along the way it! Live in also the relativism is represented by the emeritus Regius Professor of history ” as want read... Fun to read, as Evans is quite supportive of the importance of his craft shaky and book... Responsible for the adjective 'postmodern '. ] texts and reality is still there but at a time fact... And confines footnotes to the back, making it easier to read Birkbeck College, London …... Education than history or philosophy because of it and will definitely reread national interests College during,... Verso, London 384 … in Defence of history often on thin theoretical ice English! Historiography worth reading for anyone who takes history seriously and wants to understand why and how 'evidence ' is.... Idea of the big questions on the influence of postmodernism on the of. 20.42 EST Day Fighters in Defence of the Reich: a War Diary, 1942-1945 that are unstable subject! A slight remove Evans ’ s first standing army was formed by Oliver Cromwell in 1645 he builds on work. I would strongly recommend this as a by-product of this postmodern thinking application of classic historical methods brings him conflict... Defence of history is and what it claims to do and how 'evidence ' is evaluated SuperSummary Plot Summary “... His satirical comments about a number of other historians ( especially die-hard postmodernists ) are hilarious ; nevertheless, work! Student wanting to enter the field, may now give way to a problem! I will be thinking about who has written the book relates concerns among historians about philosophy!
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