This book is a compilation of essays about histories by historians. It is actually a follow up from a book ‘What is History’ by Edward Hallet Carr published in 1967. Interestingly this book is edited by his great granddaughter, Helen Carr who is also a historian.
A lot of angles about history has been discussed by all the authors. The chapters are about how can we write the history of empire, history of disability and history of religion and also why history should always be rewritten, how literature shapes history and why global history matters?
One particular chapter, why history deserves to be at the movies, written by Alex von Tunzelmann really interests me. He said movies with historical fiction is always a fiction. However :
“There are much greater threats to our grip on reality out there than a few dodgy history flicks. The internet, modern political propaganda, and increasingly atomised, polarised media make our lives information-heavy. At the same time, many of the traditional filters on that information - such as taboos against overt political lying, or the practice of rigorous fact-checking at newspapers - have collapsed. We need to learn to survive in this environment, and the discipline of history can help us. Rather than patronising audiences by loftily instructing them that fiction is fiction, we should be thinking about how to empower everyone to ask questions and look for answers.”
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