Who writes history?A brief description about the politics of history, and where you may fit into the grand narrative of history

Let’s discuss history…

A form of story telling created by humans

Reflects cultural, social, economic conditions

A complex story that can illuminate or obscure, even obliterate events

Everyday decisions are made in the vortex of competing demands

Life is a dynamic, conflict ridden, happy series of events

Power is a force that can be wielded for a wide range of purposes

Let’s discuss power …

Enact or rescind laws of the land

Protect (or harm) classes of living beings

Issue (or deny) authority

Compel people into action

Confer legitimacy

Make decisions that effect people’s daily lives

How might we define leadership?

Communicate ideas

Articulate a vision

Organize individuals and groups

Identify problems and offer strategies

Understand the complex qualities that comprise the human condition

and

Utilize that understanding to bring people together

Knowledge is a form of power

Acquisition of letters

Ability to question

Opportunity to frame

Capacity for debate / argumentation

Comfort in one’s information base

Desire to advance human well-being

Passion for learning

Provide a foundation for future inquiry

Contribute to the legacy of democratic intellectual action

The importance of POV …

Understanding a writer’s / researcher’s / teacher’s Point of View is critical to ascertaining its veracity / accuracy / relevance

Identifying the circumstances that inform a historian’s POV enables readers to understand how particular emphases have evolved in the history being told

Looking at our POV as readers permits us to understand the values / interests / importance that we place on certain stories and subjects

Consider these ideas …

Historians have a social responsibility

Create works that are useful in solving contemporary social issues

Provide a framework for understanding linkages to the past

Illuminate positive and negative outcomes of the past

Offer alternative and/or new approaches to understanding current conditions

Historical evidence is the basis for informed decision making

Ponder this …

Why is history telling useful?

Can or should historians be “objective”?

Is it possible for us to create history that speaks to a wide range of events, processes, and subjects?