Teaching Historical Narratives
A Philosophical Inquiry into the Virtues of Historical Interpretation
Will be published approx. on 23. July 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
240 pages
978-1-350-43342-7 (ISBN)
Description
With this book Jon Levisohn argues that current history education is set up in a way that sees students of history at one end of a continuum with the academic experts in the field of history at the other, and where the goal of history education is to help students to think like historians.
Building on a critical engagement with Carl Hempel, Hayden White, and David Carr, as well as contemporary work in virtue epistemology, Levisohn proposes a new theory of historiography which serves as a set of guidelines for the teaching and learning of history. According to the theory, the work of historiography is best characterized as a negotiation among narratives, weaving together received narratives with new information and ideas in order to construct a new narrative. This negotiation happens with a particular orientation towards negative evidence or 'flexible disconfirmationism', and is assessed according to the openness, sensitivity, responsibility, creativity, boldness and humility, i.e. the virtues of historical interpretation. The book rethinks the work of history education, offering new ways of thinking about the goals of the teaching of history, namely, in terms of the cultivation of the interpretive virtues.
Building on a critical engagement with Carl Hempel, Hayden White, and David Carr, as well as contemporary work in virtue epistemology, Levisohn proposes a new theory of historiography which serves as a set of guidelines for the teaching and learning of history. According to the theory, the work of historiography is best characterized as a negotiation among narratives, weaving together received narratives with new information and ideas in order to construct a new narrative. This negotiation happens with a particular orientation towards negative evidence or 'flexible disconfirmationism', and is assessed according to the openness, sensitivity, responsibility, creativity, boldness and humility, i.e. the virtues of historical interpretation. The book rethinks the work of history education, offering new ways of thinking about the goals of the teaching of history, namely, in terms of the cultivation of the interpretive virtues.
Reviews / Votes
No history educator has made a more compelling case for the importance of interpretive virtues than Jon Levisohn. Drawing on a wealth of examples, Teaching Historical Narratives shows that historical interpretation requires openness, sensitivity, courage, and humility on the historian's part. -- Herman Paul, author of Historians' Virtues: From Antiquity to the Twenty-First Century, Leiden University, The Netherlands In this fine work Levisohn draws on recent studies in the philosophy of history, emphasizing the role of narrative, in order to advance a theory of the teaching of history. Rich in detail and perceptive in its grasp of the issues, this is a book that will impress teachers and writers of history. -- David Carr, Professor Emeritus, Emory University, USA Levisohn's book offers a theory of practice in historical inquiry that is, by re-envisioning the teaching of history, a great boon to both teachers and students alike. The need to negotiate between extant narratives is as pressing today as it ever was, and this challenge is insightfully addressed through an account of the exercise of responsibility to historical evidence and other virtues of historical interpretation. -- Guy Axtell, Professor of Philosophy, Radford University, USAMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
10 bw illus
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-43342-7 (9781350433427)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Jon A. Levisohn is the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Associate Professor of Jewish Educational Thought at Brandeis University, USA, where he also directs the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education and chairs the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies.
Content
Series Editor's Foreword
Introduction
1. The Study of the Study of History
2. In Search of a Theory of Historiography Adequate to Practice
3. Hayden White and Stories about Stories about History
4. Where Do Stories Come From?
5. How to Improve the Stories that We Tell
6. The Virtues of Historical Interpretation: A Closer Look
Conclusion
References
Index
Introduction
1. The Study of the Study of History
2. In Search of a Theory of Historiography Adequate to Practice
3. Hayden White and Stories about Stories about History
4. Where Do Stories Come From?
5. How to Improve the Stories that We Tell
6. The Virtues of Historical Interpretation: A Closer Look
Conclusion
References
Index