... No summary available. 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). date: Jan 15, 2001 ISBN: 1862073953 Granta Books, London 384 … 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). 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. A hard-hitting critique…In Defense of History brings together fine essays that speak directly to the underlying assumptions of postmoderism and offer a stunning critique of its usefulness in both understanding and critiquing the current historical epoch. Is an objective account possible? But it's not true. In the end, his book is a much-needed dose of common sense. But it's not true. The Defence of Poesy Summary and Study Guide Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “The Defence of Poesy” by Philip Sidney. A Brief History of Liberal Education. A great defence of history and a great defense of the truth, Interesting topics and fluent writing. In this way, it ostensibly mirrors earlier works by E.H. Carr and Geoffrey Elton, both of whom the author often cites. What makes it even more interesting is that Evans is not even particularly hostile to postmodernism. The author comes across as self important, obnoxious and pretentious. 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). 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. It is the 'facts' that are unstable, subject to revision and further interpretation, and even dismissable as illusions on sufficient grounds. The massive controversy this book has aroused amongst British historians proves it once again. My history teacher bought this for me to help understand how to approach history as a subject. Although originally written fifteen years ago, Richard Evans' In Defence of History is still a book I would recommend to both students of history, and those simply curious about the possibility of historical knowledge. At a time when fact and historical truth are under unprecedented assault, Evans shows us why history is necessary. 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! Derivation (more or less direct) of representation from reality can be found in Locke; so can the necessarily related view that language is in principle transparent to meaning. Is an objective account possible? The argument, while sometimes a bit "stodgy" attempts to be even-handed in describing elements of postmodernism that have improved historical writing while also criticizing what Evans dubs "extreme relativism". [Another dodgy qualifier, I would say: what extent is envisaged by 'to a large extent', and why does this latitude exist at all?]. 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. He would be, I guess, be deeply disconcerted to learn that this classic empiricist assumption would be disputed by almost ever major philosopher who has written this century. E. H. Carr's What Is History?, a classic introduction to the field, may now give way to a worthy successor. 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'. 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). Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. 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'. As a by-product of this defence Evans gives a clear survey of what history is and what it claims to do. Containment—as a metaphor for the act of writing about others—is unequal to the times we live in. The writing of academic history seems to be in a crisis. (pp. 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. Richard Evans book, In Defense of History is not for everyone. He argues that literature is a more effective means of education than history or philosophy because of it’s artistic nature. This is the part where the author argues that today’s youth are not so bad. It was delightful to find that the great Ranke learned his method from literatary studies, then called Philology. But Evans skates very lightly for good reason as he is ofte. 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'. 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. Etc. 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). Evans' argument of middle-grounded liberalism and acceptance also uses historical literary evidence to st. Evans sets out to 'defend history' through responding to the challenges of postmodernism and generally finding a middle ground between the extremities within historical theory. In Defence of History was well received by some London reviewers on grounds that it saw off the invading hordes of postmodernist. 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. Surely even the most nonchalant reading of Derrida would disclose something of what was in fact at stake around logocentrism? It is depressing to think that this uninformed yet totally self-confident work of naive provincialism should come from close to the heartlands of English culture. Historical interpretation has evolved 'through contact with the real historical world', a contact said to be 'indirect, because the real historical world has disappeared'; but hey, no worries, for the documents 'which the real world of the past has left behind ... were themselves created in a much more direct interaction with reality' (p. 112). 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). In this volume, English historian Richard Evans offers a defence of the importance of his craft. Dismissed in a single sentence and a bizarre one at that, to the effect that 'master-narratives are the hegemonic stories told by those in power' (p. 150). I really enjoyed this book and got a lot out of it and will definitely reread. He charts a useful middle ground for the working historian that is neither unthinking-elitist-empiricism. What makes it interesting is that in this case the attack is coming from the Left. This is a howler, though a common one which gets regularly crossed out in undergraduate essays for courses in theory. He builds on the work of E.H. Carr and G.R. Elton, but also corrects them. All in all, a book worth reading for anyone who takes History seriously and wants to understand why and how one does 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. This book is more-or-less two things: an account of how history is done in practice, more or less; and a critique of postmodernist theories of history. Granta, 2001 - Historiography - 371 pages. Being and Event, for example, has been published in French, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, German, … In Defense of History is a compelling challenge to postmodern fashion, written by new intellectuals on the left who are reviving historical materialism as an alternative. Sir Richard, Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge University, is no swashbuckling character. Review: In Defence of History by Richard Evans. 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. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Plot Summary of “In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollan. But Evans skates very lightly for good reason as he is often on thin theoretical ice. So from a history point of view, this is my first historian book, and this was a compelling read! Evans may not know much about postmodernism but he knows what he doesn't like. WOW! 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 they are true, and Frank Ankersmit swears that we can never know anything at all about the past so we might as well confine ourselves to studying other historians, and Keith Jenkins proclaims that all history is just naked ideology designed to get historians powers and money in big university institutions run by the bourgeoisie, I will look humbly at the past and say despite them all: it really happened, and we really can, if we are very scrupulous and careful and self-critical, find out how it happened and reach some tenable though always less than final conclusions about what it all meant." Rewriting the gap between reality and representation as simply the difference between direct experience (the present) and indirect or less direct experience (the past) has a neat economy. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. His plea for a moderate application of classic historical methods brings him in conflict with postmodernism. 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?' I found this book by the emeritus Regius Professor of Modern History agreeable and sensible, but a trifle disappointing. 195-6. In defence of history. Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), byname of U.S. Public Law 104-199., law in force from 1996 to 2013 that specifically denied to same-sex couples all benefits and recognition given to opposite-sex couples. I’ll start by turning to a particular problem in Alexander’s depiction of Badiou. [Just to finish: the more correct term for 'subconscious' (p. 206) is 'unconscious'.]. From November 1990 to early January 1991, I used Refutation of official history (which in my head was a variant of In defence of history) as title for the longest series in my Thursday column in those days. 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. So from a history point of view, this is my first historian book, and this was a compelling read! Ultimately, this book has opened my eyes to the complexity and importance of the historiography debate- a fascinating area which I cannot wait to explore more of! Well, no he didn't; the signified is the concept or meaning and the thing (what philosophers term 'the referent') is another question altogether. 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. He builds on the work of E.H. Carr and G.R. I would strongly recommend this as a starting point for any postgraduate student wanting to enter the field. Richard Evans, distinguished professor of history at Cambridge, published it in 1997. Elton, but also corrects them. What’s the role of individuals? Evans is quite supportive of the useful correctives and insights postmodernism provides, while pushing firmly back on the more absurdist, reductionist claims. Evans tackles almost every classic issue the study of history has to deal with: can we reach the past? In fact they argue that the sources historians use are distorted by t. Richard Evans book, In Defense of History is not for everyone. I absolutely adored the Trevelyan quotation included by Evans in the final paragraph- 'That which compels the historian to 'scorn delights and live laborious days' is the ardour of his own curiosity to know what really happened long ago in that land of mystery which we call the past. We’d love your help. This article is more than 15 years old. A brilliant, balanced and open-minded discussion of what historians are trying to do and how they are trying to do it. 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. 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. 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. In Defence of History. If Evans' procedure in dealing with texts, source material and key questions is what historians mean by scholarly humility they will be disappointed to find that it is not widely imitated outside their own discipline. 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. Ostensibly targeted at postmodernism, the book actually aims to stir a middle ground, praising some cultural history and relinquishing old-fashioned claims of objectivity while claiming there is a legitimate purpose to history-writing. Gordon Wood | Apr 1, 2010. "For my own part, I remain optimistic that objective historical knowledge is both desirable and attainable. 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. 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. In fact they argue that the sources historians use are distorted by the views of those who created them, and the books historians write are so distorted by their views as to make them no different than fiction. There are elements to this book that I really liked, and which I found potentially useful for teaching, particularly chapter three, "Historians and their Facts"; chapter five on theories of causality, and the concluding essay on objectivity and its limits. My history teacher bought this for me to help understand how to approach history as a subject. How important is causation? Gordon Wood | Apr 1, 2010. 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. 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 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. The book has a 12-page introduction and confines footnotes to the back, making it easier to read. 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). But "The Defence of the History" has quickly turned into the defence of the professional historians from the post-modernists, not always very convincing, imho. —Contemporary Sociology. I'm teaching this book in a graduate seminar on research methods, so I may have to update this review based on student response. In this volume, English historian Richard Evans offers a defence of the importance of his craft. 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 He derisively says it is inexplicable why anybody would want to read Badiou. Evans tackles almost every classic issue the study of history has to deal with: can we reach the past? Yes, maybe they are more focused on achievement, and maybe they are excellent sheep without as much intellectual curiosity. It appeared in the British United Service Magazine under the pseudonym, Lieutenant N. Backsight Forethought ("BF"), who is the narrator of the book. It is a bit of a half-hearted attempt to write a new synthesis of where the study of history stands for, thirty years after the classics in that department by E. H. Carr and G.R. 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. Containment—as a metaphor for the act of writing about others—is unequal to the times we live in. 159-60) though no reason is given for this claim (perhaps it has something to do with the logocentrism of supposedly absolute origins?). Georg Lukács A Defence of History and Class Consciousness: Tailism and the Dialectic Verso, London, 2000, pp182. For this view the footnote (number 36) cites pages in David Lehman's shaky and one-sided book, Signs of the Times. 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