Moved by the Past

Discontinuity and Historical Mutation

Nonfiction, History, Reference, Historiography, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy
Cover of the book Moved by the Past by Eelco Runia, Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Eelco Runia ISBN: 9780231537575
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: May 6, 2014
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author: Eelco Runia
ISBN: 9780231537575
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: May 6, 2014
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

Historians go to great lengths to avoid confronting discontinuity, searching for explanations as to why such events as the fall of the Berlin Wall, George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq, and the introduction of the euro logically develop from what came before. Moved by the Past radically breaks with this tradition of predating the past, incites us to fully acknowledge the discontinuous nature of discontinuities, and proposes to use the fact that history is propelled by unforeseeable leaps and bounds as a starting point for a truly evolutionary conception of history.

Integrating research from a variety of disciplines, Eelco Runia identifies two modes of being "moved by the past": regressive and revolutionary. In the regressive mode, the past may either overwhelm us—as in nostalgia—or provoke us to act out what we believe to be solidly dead. When we are moved by the past in a revolutionary sense, we may be said to embody history: we burn our bridges behind us and create accomplished facts we have no choice but to live up to. In the final thesis of Moved by the Past, humans energize their own evolution by habitually creating situations ("catastrophes" or sublime historical events) that put a premium on mutations. This book therefore illuminates how every now and then we chase ourselves away from what we were and force ourselves to become what we are. Proposing a simple yet radical change in perspective, Runia profoundly reorients how we think and theorize about history.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Historians go to great lengths to avoid confronting discontinuity, searching for explanations as to why such events as the fall of the Berlin Wall, George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq, and the introduction of the euro logically develop from what came before. Moved by the Past radically breaks with this tradition of predating the past, incites us to fully acknowledge the discontinuous nature of discontinuities, and proposes to use the fact that history is propelled by unforeseeable leaps and bounds as a starting point for a truly evolutionary conception of history.

Integrating research from a variety of disciplines, Eelco Runia identifies two modes of being "moved by the past": regressive and revolutionary. In the regressive mode, the past may either overwhelm us—as in nostalgia—or provoke us to act out what we believe to be solidly dead. When we are moved by the past in a revolutionary sense, we may be said to embody history: we burn our bridges behind us and create accomplished facts we have no choice but to live up to. In the final thesis of Moved by the Past, humans energize their own evolution by habitually creating situations ("catastrophes" or sublime historical events) that put a premium on mutations. This book therefore illuminates how every now and then we chase ourselves away from what we were and force ourselves to become what we are. Proposing a simple yet radical change in perspective, Runia profoundly reorients how we think and theorize about history.

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book Contemporary Japanese Thought by Eelco Runia
Cover of the book Voices of Negritude in Modernist Print by Eelco Runia
Cover of the book Inside Private Prisons by Eelco Runia
Cover of the book The Aesthetics of Everyday Life by Eelco Runia
Cover of the book Action, Art, History by Eelco Runia
Cover of the book Intoxicating Minds by Eelco Runia
Cover of the book The Practices of the Enlightenment by Eelco Runia
Cover of the book India, Pakistan, and the Bomb by Eelco Runia
Cover of the book Religion Within Reason by Eelco Runia
Cover of the book Altered States by Eelco Runia
Cover of the book Exiled in America by Eelco Runia
Cover of the book The Other Catholics by Eelco Runia
Cover of the book On Being and Having a Case Manager by Eelco Runia
Cover of the book Troublesome Science by Eelco Runia
Cover of the book Violent Peace by Eelco Runia
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy