Other Pasts, Different Presents, Alternative Futures

Nonfiction, History, Reference, Historiography, European General
Cover of the book Other Pasts, Different Presents, Alternative Futures by Jeremy Black, Indiana University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jeremy Black ISBN: 9780253017062
Publisher: Indiana University Press Publication: August 3, 2015
Imprint: Indiana University Press Language: English
Author: Jeremy Black
ISBN: 9780253017062
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Publication: August 3, 2015
Imprint: Indiana University Press
Language: English

What if there had been no World War I or no Russian Revolution? What if Napoleon had won at Waterloo in 1815, or if Martin Luther had not nailed his complaints to the church door at Wittenberg in 1517, or if the South had won the American Civil War? The questioning of apparent certainties or "known knowns" can be fascinating and, indeed, "What if?" books are very popular. However, this speculative approach, known as counterfactualism, has had limited impact in academic histories, historiography, and the teaching of historical methods. In this book, Jeremy Black offers a short guide to the subject, one that is designed to argue its value as a tool for public and academe alike. Black focuses on the role of counterfactualism in demonstrating the part of contingency, and thus human agency, in history, and the salutary critique the approach offers to determinist accounts of past, present, and future.

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

What if there had been no World War I or no Russian Revolution? What if Napoleon had won at Waterloo in 1815, or if Martin Luther had not nailed his complaints to the church door at Wittenberg in 1517, or if the South had won the American Civil War? The questioning of apparent certainties or "known knowns" can be fascinating and, indeed, "What if?" books are very popular. However, this speculative approach, known as counterfactualism, has had limited impact in academic histories, historiography, and the teaching of historical methods. In this book, Jeremy Black offers a short guide to the subject, one that is designed to argue its value as a tool for public and academe alike. Black focuses on the role of counterfactualism in demonstrating the part of contingency, and thus human agency, in history, and the salutary critique the approach offers to determinist accounts of past, present, and future.

More books from Indiana University Press

Cover of the book Islamic Central Asia by Jeremy Black
Cover of the book Migration and Mobility in the Modern Age by Jeremy Black
Cover of the book Cruel City by Jeremy Black
Cover of the book Essential Israel by Jeremy Black
Cover of the book The Hurdy-Gurdy in Eighteenth-Century France, Second Edition by Jeremy Black
Cover of the book The Future of Continental Philosophy of Religion by Jeremy Black
Cover of the book Yearning for the New Age by Jeremy Black
Cover of the book Everyday Life in Southeast Asia by Jeremy Black
Cover of the book Hölderlin's Hymn "Remembrance" by Jeremy Black
Cover of the book The Art of Teaching Music by Jeremy Black
Cover of the book Women and the Gift by Jeremy Black
Cover of the book States of Emergency by Jeremy Black
Cover of the book Material Vernaculars by Jeremy Black
Cover of the book Elie Wiesel by Jeremy Black
Cover of the book Blood Ties and the Native Son by Jeremy Black
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