Is History Fiction?
By John Docker

Is History Fiction?

By (author) John Docker

Ann Curthoys

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Description
Is History Fiction? explores in fresh and innovative ways the perennial question, What is History? How can we in the present know the past? In a wonderful journey that starts with the classical Greeks and travels through the centuries to more recent forms of history that are framed by Marxism, postmodernism and feminism, John Docker and Ann Curthoys find that history has a double character. It is both a rigorous scrutiny of sources, and, because it presents the results of its enquiries as narrative, it is part of a literary world too. Such doubleness is the secret of historys fascination as an always changing, inventive endeavour. Yet it also explains why history has been a source of sometimes bitter disputes.

ISBN: 9780868407340
Classification: History: theory & methods
Format: Paperback (234mm x 153mm x mm)
Pages: 304
Publish Date: 1-Oct-2005
Country of Publication: Australia

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0 star rating by Boomert - Is History Fiction? by John Docker & Ann Curthoys 09 Jan 2010
In this important and timely book, John Docker and Ann Curthoys trace the history of Western historical writing, from the works of the classical Greek historians Herodotus and Thucydides to the present day ‘history wars’ that have polarised Australian society. What the current debate about Australia’s colonial past reveals is that because the past cannot be brought back to life, history is always open to the interpretations of those in the present. Does this mean, however, that there is no way of establishing historical truth? Docker and Curthoys carefully explore this question by looking at how history has been framed by theories like Marxism, postmodernism and feminism. Along the way they do a fine job of explaining some difficult concepts and presenting their arguments in a thoughtful and balanced manner. Is History Fiction? brings together diverse viewpoints to form an intriguing narrative. For anyone who is interested in the ideas that have contributed to our understanding of the theory and practice of history, this book will be a fascinating read. And in light of the attempt by ‘revisionist historian’ Keith Windschuttle to rewrite Australian colonial history, Is History Fiction? is guaranteed to be both challenging and stimulating.

Author Biography: John Docker
Ann Curthoys is a well-known historian and public intellectual. She has published many books, her most recent being Freedom Ride: A Freedomrider Remembers (2002). John docker is a well-known literary and cultural critic. His numerous books include Posmodernism and Popular Culture: A Cultural History and 1492: The Poetics of Diaspora.

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