Interpretation and perspective, I think, play a large role in history. It’s difficult to present history as mere fact because our perspective, who we are and how we look at the world affects how we read history and write about history. In Eric Foner’s article “Changing History” he argues, “All history… is contemporary history”. We look to past events to understand the present and all events of the past are analyzed and interpreted through today’s perspective. Historical events of the past will always call our attention to be analyzed and interpreted so to understand our present. Foner also discusses the events of 9/11 as a way that will cause us to put emphasis on new ideas. September 11 has cause historians to put new emphasis on the United States relations with the larger world, in particular with the Middle East. It has also caused historians to look back at other issues brought up by 9/11. There has been increased interest on civil liberty and the infringements on them since 9/11. Historians have looked back at other periods in American history were civil liberties have been withdrawn for the supposed sake of public safety such as the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. “All history…is contemporary history” because current events will always cause historians to re-examine the past for understanding.
Caroline - I agree that all history is contemporary history. Yet I'm not sure that Foner means that we use the past to understand the present. Just the opposite, I think. The present, the site of our perspective and interests, is where we develop the questions about the past. And as historians we can't use the perspective of the present to understand the past - if we did we would couldn't understand other cultures and societies and traditions.
ReplyDelete