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How Free Is Free? The Long Death of Jim Crow
by Leon F. LitwackIn 1985, a black veteran of the civil rights movement offered a bleak vision of a long and troubled struggle. For more than a century, black southerners learned to live with betrayed expectations, diminishing prospects, and devastated aspirations. Their odyssey includes some of the most appalling examples of terrorism, violence, and dehumanization in the history of this nation. But, as Leon Litwack graphically demonstrates, it is at the same time an odyssey of resilience and resistance defined by day-to-day acts of protest: the fight for justice poignantly recorded in the stories, songs, images, and movements of a people trying to be heard. For black men and women, the question is: how free is free? Despite two major efforts to reconstruct race relations, injustices remain. From the height of Jim Crow to the early twenty-first century, struggles over racism persist despite court decisions and legislation. Few indignities were more pronounced than the World War II denial of basic rights and privileges to those responding to the call to make the world safe for democratic values that they themselves did not enjoy. And even the civil rights movement promise to redeem America was frustrated by change that was often more symbolic than real. Although a painful history to confront, Litwack's book inspires as it probes the enduring story of racial inequality and the ongoing fight for freedom in black America with power and grace.
How Free Speech Saved Democracy: The Untold History of How the First Amendment Became an Essential Tool for Secur ing Liberty and Social Justice (Sunlight Editions)
by Christopher M. Finan&“A historical demonstration of the indispensability of the First Amendment [and] … an earnest and timely argument for [its] enduring value.&” —Kirkus Reviews "Great storytelling about the history and importance of the First Amendment, from someone who has spent his life defending — and using — it." —Mary Beth TinkerFree speech is not an obstacle to change: it is the way change happensUncovering vivid and engaging stories about First Amendment pioneers, How Free Speech Saved Democracy shows how their struggle made possible the surging protests that aim to expand democracy today.How Free Speech Saved Democracy is a revealing reminder that First Amendment rights have often been curtailed in efforts to block progress, and that current measures to reduce hurtful language and to end hate speech could backfire on those who promote them.To those who see free speech as a threat to democracy, Finan offers engaging evidence from a long and sometimes challenging history of free speech in America to show how free speech has been essential to expanding democracy.From the beginning of American history, free speech has been used to advocate for change. In the 19th century, abolitionists, advocates for women&’s rights, and leaders of the labor movement had to fight for free speech. In the 20th century, the civil rights and anti-war movements expanded free speech, creating a shield for every protest movement we see today.Written by a historian who became a full-time defender of civil liberties and has spent four decades advocating for the rights of victims of censorship, this book grew out of Finan&’s desire to address the declining support for free speech that is occurring as our country becomes increasingly polarized.Through his evocative storytelling Finan demonstrates how the most effective antidote for the growth of hate speech and violence is support for and cultivation of the robust alternative of free speech.
How The French Think: An Affectionate Portrait Of An Intellectual People
by Sudhir HazareesinghIn France, perhaps more so than anywhere else, intellectual activity is a way of life embraced by the majority of society, not just a small group of élite thinkers. And because French thought has also shaped the Western world, Sudhir Hazareesingh argues in How the French Think, we cannot hope to understand modern history without first making sense of the French mind-set. Hazareesingh traces the evolution of French thought from Descartes and Rousseau to Sartre and Derrida. In the French intellectual tradition, he shows, recurring themes have pervaded nearly every aspect of French life, from the rhetorical flair once embodied by the philosophes to the country’s modern embrace of secularism. Sweeping aside generalizations and easy stereotypes, Hazareesingh offers an erudite portrait of the venerated tradition of French thought and the people who embody it.
How Generations Remember
by Monika PalmbergerThis book provides a profound insight into post-war Mostar, and the memories of three generations of this Bosnian-Herzegovinian city. Drawing on several years of ethnographic fieldwork, it offers a vivid account of how personal and collective memories are utterly intertwined, and how memories across the generations are reimagined and 'rewritten' following great socio-political change. Focusing on both Bosniak-dominated East Mostar and Croat-dominated West Mostar, it demonstrates that, even in this ethno-nationally divided city with its two divergent national historiographies, generation-specific experiences are crucial in how people ascribe meaning to past events. It argues that the dramatic and often brutal transformations that Bosnia and Herzegovina has witnessed have led to alterations in memory politics, not to mention disparities in the life situations faced by the different generations in present-day post-war Mostar. This in turn has created variations in memories along generational lines, which affect how individuals narrate and position themselves in relation to the country's history. This detailed and engaging work will appeal to students and scholars of anthropology, sociology, political science, history and oral history, particularly those with an interest in memory, post-socialist Europe and conflict studies.
How George Washington Fleeced the Nation: And Other Little Secrets Airbrushed From History
by Phil MasonOur view of the famous is one-dimensional--leading figures from history are summarized in history textbooks with one or two lines: Churchill the war-time genius, Gandhi the poor ascetic--but nobody is perfect and even the famous have their quirks and hidden secrets. How George Washington Fleeced the Nation reveals the often hilarious, sometimes shocking, and always highly informative foibles of the great and the good. Einstein, the most brilliant man who lived, regularly forgot his shoes and never learned to drive. Hitler possibly has a Jewish ancestor. Picasso avoided paying restaurant bills by doodling on their napkins instead. Prepared to be shocked, amused, and outraged at what they didn't teach you in high school.
How Glass Changed the World
by Seth C. RasmussenGlass production is thought to date to ~2500 BC and had found numerous uses by the height of the Roman Empire. Yet the modern view of glass-based chemical apparatus (beakers, flasks, stills, etc.) was quite limited due to a lack of glass durability under rapid temperature changes and chemical attack. This "brief" gives an overview of the history and chemistry of glass technology from its origins in antiquity to its dramatic expansion in the 13th century, concluding with its impact on society in general, particularly its effect on chemical practices.
How Global Currencies Work: Past, Present, and Future
by Barry Eichengreen Arnaud Mehl Livia ChituA powerful new understanding of global currency trends, including the rise of the Chinese yuanAt first glance, the modern history of the global economic system seems to support the long-held view that the leading world power’s currency—the British pound, the U.S. dollar, and perhaps someday the Chinese yuan—invariably dominates international trade and finance. In How Global Currencies Work, three noted economists provide a reassessment of this history and the theories behind the conventional wisdom.Offering a new history of global finance over the past two centuries, and marshaling extensive new data to test established theories of how global currencies work, Barry Eichengreen, Arnaud Mehl, and Livia Chiţu argue for a new view, in which several national monies can share international currency status, and their importance can change rapidly. They demonstrate how changes in technology and in the structure of international trade and finance have reshaped the landscape of international currencies so that several international financial standards can coexist. They show that multiple international and reserve currencies have in fact coexisted in the pastupending the traditional view of the British pound’s dominance prior to 1945 and the U.S. dollar’s dominance more recently.Looking forward, the book tackles the implications of this new framework for major questions facing the future of the international monetary system, from whether the euro and the Chinese yuan might address their respective challenges and perhaps rival the dollar, to how increased currency competition might affect global financial stability.
How God Became Jesus: The Real Origins of Belief in Jesus' Divine Nature---A Response to Bart Ehrman
by Simon Gathercole Craig A. Evans Michael F. Bird Charles E. Hill Chris TillingIn his recent book How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher From Galilee historian Bart Ehrman explores a claim that resides at the heart of the Christian faith— that Jesus of Nazareth was, and is, God. According to Ehrman, though, this is not what the earliest disciples believed, nor what Jesus claimed about himself. The first response book to this latest challenge to Christianity from Ehrman, How God Became Jesus features the work of five internationally recognized biblical scholars. While subjecting his claims to critical scrutiny, they offer a better, historically informed account of why the Galilean preacher from Nazareth came to be hailed as “the Lord Jesus Christ.” Namely, they contend, the exalted place of Jesus in belief and worship is clearly evident in the earliest Christian sources, shortly following his death, and was not simply the invention of the church centuries later.
How God Used R.A. Torrey: A Short Biography as Told Through His Sermons
by Fred SandersSermons to change you, a life to inspire you.Scholar, expositor, storyteller, and evangelist, R. A. Torrey was a master-of-all-trades minister. Crowds worldwide called his preaching &“that famous Torrey thing.&” And that famous Torrey thing won souls. Inside are the most famous, influential, and characteristic of his sermons. Though nearly a century old, they challenge us anew from Scripture and are greatly instructive to any who preach. Drawn from various periods of Torrey&’s ministry, and prefaced with bibliographic commentary, these sermons paint a portrait of a man gripped by God. But even more they grip the reader. They take us into the great halls where God&’s Word bellowed forth from Torrey and left his audiences hushed. It&’s no wonder that Torrey caught the attention of the great evangelist D. L. Moody. Be ready to be provoked. Like an archer who strikes with both accuracy and force, Torrey preached with clarity while cutting deep to the heart. Behind the bow you&’ll see a man fully sold on the kingdom of God, and you&’ll be inspired to follow suit.
How God Used R.A. Torrey: A Short Biography as Told Through His Sermons
by Fred SandersSermons to change you, a life to inspire you.Scholar, expositor, storyteller, and evangelist, R. A. Torrey was a master-of-all-trades minister. Crowds worldwide called his preaching &“that famous Torrey thing.&” And that famous Torrey thing won souls. Inside are the most famous, influential, and characteristic of his sermons. Though nearly a century old, they challenge us anew from Scripture and are greatly instructive to any who preach. Drawn from various periods of Torrey&’s ministry, and prefaced with bibliographic commentary, these sermons paint a portrait of a man gripped by God. But even more they grip the reader. They take us into the great halls where God&’s Word bellowed forth from Torrey and left his audiences hushed. It&’s no wonder that Torrey caught the attention of the great evangelist D. L. Moody. Be ready to be provoked. Like an archer who strikes with both accuracy and force, Torrey preached with clarity while cutting deep to the heart. Behind the bow you&’ll see a man fully sold on the kingdom of God, and you&’ll be inspired to follow suit.
How Great Generals Win
by Bevin Alexander"An astute military historian's appraisal of what separates the sheep from the wolves in the great game of war."--Kirkus Reviews If a key to military victory is to "get there first with the most," the true test of the great general is to decide where "there" is--the enemy's Achilles heel. Here is a narrative account of decisive engagements that succeeded by brilliant strategy more than by direct force. The reader accompanies those who fought, from Roman legionaries and Mongol horsemen to Napoleonic soldiery, American Civil War Rebels and Yankees, World War I Tommies, Lawrence of Arabia's bedouins, Chinese revolutionaries, British Desert Rats, Rommel's Afrika Korps, and Douglas MacArthur's Inchon invaders. However varied their weapons, the soldiers of all these eras followed a commander who faced the same obstacles and demonstrated the strategic and tactical genius essential for victory. "All warfare is based on deception," wrote Sun Tzu in The Art of War in 400 BCE. Bevin Alexander shows how great generals have interpreted this advice, and why it still holds true today.
How Greek Tragedy Works: A Guide for Directors, Dramaturges, and Playwrights
by Brian KulickHow Greek Tragedy Works is a journey through the hidden meanings and dual nature of Greek tragedy, drawing on its foremost dramatists to bring about a deeper understanding of how and why to engage with these enduring plays. Brian Kulick dispels the trepidation that many readers feel with regard to classical texts by equipping them with ways in which they can unpack the hidden meanings of these plays. He focuses on three of the key texts of Greek theatre: Aeschylus' Agamemnon, Euripides' The Bacchae, and Sophocles' Electra, and uses them to tease out the core principles of the theatre-making and storytelling impulses. By encouraging us to read between the lines like this, he also enables us to read these and other Greek tragedies as artists' manifestos, equipping us not only to understand tragedy itself, but also to interpret what the great playwrights had to say about the nature of plays and drama. This is an indispensable guide for anyone who finds themselves confronted with tackling the Greek classics, whether as a reader, scholar, student, or director.
How Green Was My Valley (Penguin Longman Active Reading Ser.)
by Richard LlewellynThe international-bestselling winner of the National Book Award and the basis for the Academy Award–winning film directed by John Ford. Huw Morgan remembers the days when his home valley was prosperous, verdant, and beautiful—before the mines came to town. The youngest son of a respectable mining family in South Wales, he is now the only one left in the valley, and his reminiscences tell the story of a family and a town both defined and ruined by the mines. Huw&’s story is both joyful and heartrending—a portrait of a place and a people existing now only in memory. Full of memorable characters, richly crafted language, and surprising humor, How Green Was My Valley is the first of four books chronicling Huw&’s life, including the sequels Up into the Singing Mountain, Down Where the Moon is Small, and Green, Green My Valley Now. &“The reader emerges from these tense pages strangely aglow with sharing the happiness of the characters . . . The simplicity of the language and its delicately strange flavor give the book added charm.&” —Chicago Tribune
How Groups Matter: Challenges of Toleration in Pluralistic Societies (Routledge Studies in Social and Political Thought #86)
by Gideon Calder Magali Bessone Federico ZuoloWhen groups feature in political philosophy, it is usually in one of three contexts: the redressing of past or current injustices suffered by ethnic or cultural minorities; the nature and scope of group rights; and questions around how institutions are supposed to treat a certain specific identity/cultural/ethnic group. What is missing from these debates is a comprehensive analysis of groups as both agents and objects of social policies. While this has been subject to much scrutiny by sociologists and social psychologists, it has received less attention from a normative and philosophical point of view. This volume asks: what problems are posed to political philosophy by a collection of individuals who act or are treated in a collective way? Focusing not only on ways in which institutions should treat groups, but also on the normative implications of considering groups as possible social agents, when acting either in vertical relations with the state or in horizontal relations with other groups (or individuals), this book explores these issues from both theoretical and practical perspectives. Contributors address both the nature of political and social philosophy itself, and the ways in which specific issues – affirmative action, race, religion and places of worship, the rights of states – have become political and social priorities.
How Happy to Call Oneself a Turk
by Gavin D. BrockettThe modern nation-state of Turkey was established in 1923, but when and how did its citizens begin to identify themselves as Turks? Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Turkey's founding president, is almost universally credited with creating a Turkish national identity through his revolutionary program to "secularize" the former heartland of the Ottoman Empire. Yet, despite Turkey's status as the lone secular state in the Muslim Middle East, religion remains a powerful force in Turkish society, and the country today is governed by a democratically elected political party with a distinctly religious (Islamist) orientation. In this history, Gavin D. Brockett takes a fresh look at the formation of Turkish national identity, focusing on the relationship between Islam and nationalism and the process through which a "religious national identity" emerged. Challenging the orthodoxy that Ataturk and the political elite imposed a sense of national identity from the top down, Brockett examines the social and political debates in provincial newspapers from around the country. He shows that the unprecedented expansion of print media in Turkey between 1945 and 1954, which followed the end of strict, single-party authoritarian government, created a forum in which ordinary people could inject popular religious identities into the new Turkish nationalism. Brockett makes a convincing case that it was this fruitful negotiation between secular nationalism and Islam--rather than the imposition of secularism alone--that created the modern Turkish national identity.
How Happy We Shall Be: A gripping Blackpool saga that is hard to put down
by Margaret ThorntonTwo sisters search for love... In Margaret Thornton's How Happy We Shall Be, two sisters suffer heartache in the 1950s in a gripping saga that moves between the bustling streets of London and the windswept beaches of Blackpool. Perfect for fans of Annie Murray and Nadine Dorries. 'A smashing holiday read' - Lancashire Evening Telegraph Rosie and Patsy Bradshaw became sisters during the Second World War when Rosie was adopted as an orphaned evacuee in Blackpool. Since then, they've been the best of friends - some would say, inseparable - but as the girls reach adulthood it is time for them to part.Rosie is determined to make the most of life and travels to art college in London. She is enchanted by Kensington in the fifties and falls madly in love with her tutor. Despite knowing the dangers of such an attachment, Rosie is unprepared for just how much hurt lies ahead. Meanwhile, Patsy can't help feeling she doesn't fit in, and only a chance encounter with Ronnie Sykes, a childhood friend from Blackpool, gives new meaning and hope to her days at college. But a jealous rival soon puts paid to their romance...So it is that both sisters have yet to succeed in their search for love, and reunited in Blackpool, they decide to make a new start and recapture the happiness shared in their youth. What readers are saying about How Happy We Shall Be: 'I loved this book as I felt the characters were so real and I could sympathise with their conflicts''Margaret Thornton is a brilliant storyteller. Her books draw you in, so you feel you know the characters. Hard to put down' 'Five stars'
How Happy We Shall Be: A gripping Blackpool saga that is hard to put down
by Margaret ThorntonTwo sisters search for love... In Margaret Thornton's How Happy We Shall Be, two sisters suffer heartache in the 1950s in a gripping saga that moves between the bustling streets of London and the windswept beaches of Blackpool. Perfect for fans of Annie Murray and Nadine Dorries. 'A smashing holiday read' - Lancashire Evening TelegraphRosie and Patsy Bradshaw became sisters during the Second World War when Rosie was adopted as an orphaned evacuee in Blackpool. Since then, they've been the best of friends - some would say, inseparable - but as the girls reach adulthood it is time for them to part.Rosie is determined to make the most of life and travels to art college in London. She is enchanted by Kensington in the fifties and falls madly in love with her tutor. Despite knowing the dangers of such an attachment, Rosie is unprepared for just how much hurt lies ahead. Meanwhile, Patsy can't help feeling she doesn't fit in, and only a chance encounter with Ronnie Sykes, a childhood friend from Blackpool, gives new meaning and hope to her days at college. But a jealous rival soon puts paid to their romance...So it is that both sisters have yet to succeed in their search for love, and reunited in Blackpool, they decide to make a new start and recapture the happiness shared in their youth.What readers are saying about How Happy We Shall Be: 'I loved this book as I felt the characters were so real and I could sympathise with their conflicts''Margaret Thornton is a brilliant storyteller. Her books draw you in, so you feel you know the characters. Hard to put down' 'Five stars'
How Herbs Healed the World: And Other Stories of Remarkable Plants
by Connor Smith'The writing shines when recounting the stories behind these herbs, offering a blend of history and botanical fascination' - RHS, The GardenHerbs are wonderful things. Without them so much would not be possible. With the advance of science over the last two hundred years these once mystical plants have changed and saved countless lives, vastly improving our standard of living while providing us all with a much richer, healthier diet. Today, we take for granted a world full oflife-saving drugs, luxury cosmetics and exotic foods.This fascinating book will tell this story: revealing how poisons once used by the ancient Romans such as Deadly Nightshade are now being used in modern medicine or how the herbs used by indigenous people around the world have provided remedies for countless illnesses. It will explore the myths and legends behind herbs such as the infamous Mandrake and how herbs such as Yarrow are still being used to treat wounds today, just as they were thousands of years ago; and it will show how exotic herbs from across the globe have enriched our livesand delve into the origins of the culinary herbs that everyone knows and loves.Seventy-five herbs have been carefully chosen to tell the story of how they have each changed our world, looking back at their origins and what was once believed, while comparing this with the modern day uses and the scientific value of these plants enabling the reader to understand and appreciate their importance.Each double page spread will provide both historic and modern illustrations of each herb alongside captivating accounts of their historical and modern day uses including supplementary botanical and horticultural information for each.
How Herbs Healed the World: And Other Stories of Remarkable Plants
by Connor Smith'The writing shines when recounting the stories behind these herbs, offering a blend of history and botanical fascination' - RHS, The GardenHerbs are wonderful things. Without them so much would not be possible. With the advance of science over the last two hundred years these once mystical plants have changed and saved countless lives, vastly improving our standard of living while providing us all with a much richer, healthier diet. Today, we take for granted a world full oflife-saving drugs, luxury cosmetics and exotic foods.This fascinating book will tell this story: revealing how poisons once used by the ancient Romans such as Deadly Nightshade are now being used in modern medicine or how the herbs used by indigenous people around the world have provided remedies for countless illnesses. It will explore the myths and legends behind herbs such as the infamous Mandrake and how herbs such as Yarrow are still being used to treat wounds today, just as they were thousands of years ago; and it will show how exotic herbs from across the globe have enriched our livesand delve into the origins of the culinary herbs that everyone knows and loves.Seventy-five herbs have been carefully chosen to tell the story of how they have each changed our world, looking back at their origins and what was once believed, while comparing this with the modern day uses and the scientific value of these plants enabling the reader to understand and appreciate their importance.Each double page spread will provide both historic and modern illustrations of each herb alongside captivating accounts of their historical and modern day uses including supplementary botanical and horticultural information for each.
How High Can We Climb? The Story of Women Explorers
by Jeannine AtkinsProfiles twelve women explorers of the land and sea: Jeanne Baret, Florence Baker, Annie Smith Peck, Josephine Peary, Arnarulunguaq, Elisabeth Casteret, Nicole Maxwell, Sylvia Earle, Junko Tabei, Kay Cottee, Sue Hendrickson, and Ann Bancroft.
How High the Moon
by Karyn ParsonsTo Kill a Mockingbird meets One Crazy Summer in this powerful, bittersweet debut about one girl's journey to reconnect with her mother and learn the truth about her father in the tumultuous times of the Jim Crow South. <P><P> Dreaming In the small town of Alcolu, South Carolina, in 1944, 12-year-old Ella spends her days fishing and running around with her best friend Henry and cousin Myrna. But life is not always so sunny for Ella, who gets bullied for her light skin tone, and whose mother is away pursuing a jazz singer dream in Boston. So Ella is ecstatic when her mother invites her to visit for Christmas. Little does she expect the truths she will discover about her mother, the father she never knew and her family's most unlikely history. And after a life-changing month, she returns South and is shocked by the news that her schoolmate George has been arrested for the murder of two local white girls. <P><P> Bittersweet and eye-opening, How High the Moon is a timeless novel about a girl finding herself in a world all but determined to hold her down.
How Hip Hop Became Hit Pop: Radio, Rap, and Race
by Amy CoddingtonA free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more.How Hip Hop Became Hit Pop examines the programming practices at commercial radio stations in the 1980s and early 1990s to uncover how the radio industry facilitated hip hop's introduction into the musical mainstream. Constructed primarily by the Top 40 radio format, the musical mainstream featured mostly white artists for mostly white audiences. With the introduction of hip hop to these programs, the radio industry was fundamentally altered, as stations struggled to incorporate the genre's diverse audience. At the same time, as artists negotiated expanding audiences and industry pressure to make songs fit within the confines of radio formats, the sound of hip hop changed. Drawing from archival research, Amy Coddington shows how the racial structuring of the radio industry influenced the way hip hop was sold to the American public, and how the genre's growing popularity transformed ideas about who constitutes the mainstream.
How History Gets Things Wrong: The Neuroscience of Our Addiction to Stories (The\mit Press Ser.)
by Alex RosenbergWhy we learn the wrong things from narrative history, and how our love for stories is hard-wired.To understand something, you need to know its history. Right? Wrong, says Alex Rosenberg in How History Gets Things Wrong. Feeling especially well-informed after reading a book of popular history on the best-seller list? Don't. Narrative history is always, always wrong. It's not just incomplete or inaccurate but deeply wrong, as wrong as Ptolemaic astronomy. We no longer believe that the earth is the center of the universe. Why do we still believe in historical narrative? Our attachment to history as a vehicle for understanding has a long Darwinian pedigree and a genetic basis. Our love of stories is hard-wired. Neuroscience reveals that human evolution shaped a tool useful for survival into a defective theory of human nature. Stories historians tell, Rosenberg continues, are not only wrong but harmful. Israel and Palestine, for example, have dueling narratives of dispossession that prevent one side from compromising with the other. Henry Kissinger applied lessons drawn from the Congress of Vienna to American foreign policy with disastrous results. Human evolution improved primate mind reading—the ability to anticipate the behavior of others, whether predators, prey, or cooperators—to get us to the top of the African food chain. Now, however, this hard-wired capacity makes us think we can understand history—what the Kaiser was thinking in 1914, why Hitler declared war on the United States—by uncovering the narratives of what happened and why. In fact, Rosenberg argues, we will only understand history if we don't make it into a story.
How History Matters to Philosophy: Reconsidering Philosophy’s Past After Positivism (Routledge Studies in Contemporary Philosophy)
by Robert C. ScharffIn recent decades, widespread rejection of positivism’s notorious hostility toward the philosophical tradition has led to renewed debate about the real relationship of philosophy to its history. How History Matters to Philosophy takes a fresh look at this debate. Current discussion usually starts with the question of whether philosophy’s past should matter, but Scharff argues that the very existence of the debate itself demonstrates that it already does matter. After an introductory review of the recent literature, he develops his case in two parts. In Part One, he shows how history actually matters for even Plato’s Socrates, Descartes, and Comte, in spite of their apparent promotion of conspicuously ahistorical Platonic, Cartesian, and Positivistic ideals. In Part Two, Scharff argues that the real issue is not whether history matters; rather it is that we already have a history, a very distinctive and unavoidable inheritance, which paradoxically teaches us that history’s mattering is merely optional. Through interpretations of Dilthey, Nietzsche, and Heidegger, he describes what thinking in a historically determinate way actually involves, and he considers how to avoid the denial of this condition that our own philosophical inheritance still seems to expect of us. In a brief conclusion, Scharff explains how this book should be read as part of his own effort to acknowledge this condition rather than deny it.
How History Works: The Reconstitution of a Human Science (Routledge Approaches to History)
by Martin L. DaviesHow History Works assesses the social function of academic knowledge in the humanities, exemplified by history, and offers a critique of the validity of historical knowledge. The book focusses on history’s academic, disciplinary ethos to offer a reconception of the discipline of history, arguing that it is an existential liability: if critical analysis reveals the sense that history offers to the world to be illusory, what stops historical scholarship from becoming a disguise for pessimism or nihilism? History is routinely invoked in all kinds of cultural, political, economic, psychological situations to provide a reliable account or justification of what is happening. Moreover, it addresses a world already receptive to comprehensive historical explanations: since everyone has some knowledge of history, everyone can be manipulated by it. This book analyses the relationship between specialized knowledge and everyday experience, taking phenomenology (Husserl) and pragmatism (James) as methodological guides. It is informed by a wide literature sceptical of the sense academic historical expertise produces and of the work history does, represented by thinkers such as Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Valéry, Anders and Cioran. How History Works discusses how history makes sense of the world even if what happens is senseless, arguing that behind the smoke-screen of historical scholarship looms a chaotic world-dynamic indifferent to human existence. It is valuable reading for anyone interested in historiography and historical theory.