历史学专业英语03-_Use_and_misuse_of_sou.ppt

The Use and Misuse of Sources: Academic Etiquette Dr Mark J Crowley E-MAIL: MJC83LIVE.CO.UK Objectives Look at major historical debates Draw out specific issues on how historians work What are the dangers of misusing sources? Fascism v Capitalism Archives brought this debate to the forefront Max Horkheimer “whoever speaks of Fascism must also speak of Capitalism” Fascism was different in many countries Marxism Marxist theory looks at the relationship between capital and the state Economic and political relationship To prove the theory / assumption that Fascism and Capitalism are linked, you need a different approach David Abraham and Tim Mason Abrahams book (1981) looked at how Marxism and Capitalism was addressed in the political arena. Focus on class interests and political expression. Abraham and Tim Mason looked to unpack the reductive accounts of Fascism and Capitalism “Historically specific” structure of the state. Influence of Henry Turner Challenged Abrahams evidence and accused him of misusing sources Wrote an article criticising Abraham, supported by Gerald D Feldman and Tim Mason Others supported Abraham Emphasising “historical fact” over “imagination” Abraham was fired from his job Historikerstreit (Historians dispute) The interpretation of Germany in World War 2 A J P Taylor: Germans responsible for crimes Marxists: Nazis came to power because of problems with capitalism Liberals: Hitlers influence was most important The Holocaust in World War 2 Issues Were the crimes of Nazi Germany unique? Did German history follow a “special path?” Were other Genocides comparable to the Holocaust? Were the Nazi crimes a reaction to Russia? David Irving: Holocaust Denier “for his own ideological reasons persistently and deliberately misrepresented and manipulated historical evidence” Daniel Goldhagen Hitlers “Willing Executioners” Jewish and his father survived the holocaust Studies genocide The dangers of sources The conditioning of historical sources Attitudes of historians towards the major debates / issues of the time How does this affect the way that we read history? The dangers of sources “The profession has at least to take for granted that sources have been properly used, and when discovered errors tend in the direction of the authors argumentation, they shake confidence more generally. Nevertheless, implications of wilfully fabricating evidence aroused by these charges are unjustified.” Charles S Maier Ideological / Conceptual approach Empirical / Institutional approach Philosophical / Intellectual history approach “civic rationality.groups committed to a fervent nationalism in the abstract can demonstrate very partial or flawed insights into public needs.” Charles S Maier, p.89 What effect does the misuse of sources have on the wider historical community? Is it possible to construct a good debate from a poor / inaccurate thesis? How does an inaccurate thesis affect the way in which a historian is seen by the academic community? To what extent should publishers / referees take responsibility for errors and omissions in historical theses? Issues to consider Who takes the responsibility for a text? Is it methodological or ethical? Richard Evans book In defence of history P Novik: That noble dream: the quest for objectivity in US history Further reading “A Collapse in Weimar Scholarship” Gerald D. Feldman, Central European History, Vol. 17, No. 2/3 (Jun. - Sep., 1984), pp. 159-177 Conclusion