What Is History For?
By Robert Gildea
ISBN
978-1529230512Dimensions
203 x 127 mmImprint
Bristol University PressISBN
978-1529230529Dimensions
203 x 127 mmImprint
Bristol University PressISBN
978-1529230529Dimensions
203 x 127 mmImprint
Bristol University Press
What Is History For?
“History”, suggests Robert Gildea, “is a battlefield.” Questions of power, rights, identity and nationhood always have an ancient and modern historical dimension and countries still go to war over their interpretation of history. Yet accounts of history are just as prone to fabrication as fake news, so how can we tell good history from bad? How can history be critical, learning from the past and righting wrongs, rather than divisive, such as riding roughshod over the rights of others?
In this passionately argued book, Gildea suggests that the more people who really understand what good history entails, the more likely history is to triumph over myth. He sees positive signs in public history, citizen historians and community projects, among other developments. And he debunks claims that ‘you cannot rewrite history’, arguing that good history that’s attuned to its times must be rewritten time and again.
“Understanding the past has never been so necessary. Robert Gildea tells us why and shows us how it can be done better. An indispensable book for us all.” Joanna Bourke, Birkbeck, University of London
“This timely, important and highly readable book shows why history matters for our societies now and for the future. The distinguished historian Robert Gildea has drawn on his lifetime’s work to warn us that we must not let bad history drive out good." Margaret MacMillan, University of Oxford and University of Toronto
“A calm, even-handed, almost Olympian survey and overview of the brutal battlefields of the history wars." Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of 'The World: a Family History'
“Written with admirable clarity, this stimulating book makes a powerful case for the in-depth study of history.” Sheila Rowbotham, writer and historian
“Refreshingly clear, concise and balanced, Robert Gildea’s wide-ranging and lively survey of what is at stake in the writing and understanding of the past is a real page-turner.” Colin Jones, Queen Mary University of London
“This book stuns. With clarity, with energy, with brilliance, Gildea reveals what is at stake in the many battles about history. He explains why history is evoked whenever regimes change or wars are fought. The book could hardly be more timely.” Joya Chatterji, University of Cambridge
"A clear-eyed and necessary approach to why understanding the past is crucial in the present. Robert Gildea argues the importance of history, in navigating major movements and issues we face today, from de-colonisation to fake news. But, crucially, Gildea charts the undulations of history as a discipline, clearly and thoughtfully demonstrating exactly why history must always be re-written. This book should be planted firmly in the hands of every history student.” Helen Carr, Queen Mary University of London
Robert Gildea is Professor Emeritus of Modern History at the University of Oxford, and a specialist on French and European history in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 2003 he won the Wolfson Prize for History.
1. Where Are We Now?
2. How Did We Get Here?
3. Where Do We Go From Here?
