Summary
So says eminent Canadian historian [Margaret MacMillan] in this short overview based on a series of lectures last fall at the University of Western Ontario. The question is whether they find the appropriate analogies and "lessons."
Still, she displays keen understanding of historical debates around the globe, using examples in her discussion as diverse as United States foreign policy in the Truman years, left-wing intellectuals in Duplessis-era Quebec, the growth of Hindu nationalism in India, and enduring "historical myths" arising from the Battle of Kosovo in 1389.Moreover, the study of history must move beyond "comfortable" views of our past. It offers a wealth of resources in possible alternatives, analogies and accumulated wisdom, but also the temptation to simplify and distort. "If the study of history does nothing more than teach us humility and skepticism," she concludes, "then it has done something useful."See the full content of this document
Extract
We Use, Abuse History but Do We Learn From It?
Reviewed by Ted Wakefield
The Uses and Abuses of HistoryBy Margaret MacMillanViking Canada, 208 pages, $30History may be "more or less bunk," as Henry Ford said, but this hasn't stopped people from...See the full content of this document
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