Why History Matters
Description
Does history matter? Is it anything more than entertainment? And if so, what practical relevance does it have? In this fully revised second edition of a seminal text, John Tosh persuasively argues that history is central to an informed and critical understanding of topical issues in the present. Including a range of contemporary examples from Brexit to child sexual abuse to the impact of the internet, this is an important and practical introduction for all students of history.
Inspiring and empowering, this book provides both students and general readers with a stimulating and practical rationale for the study of history. It is essential reading for all undergraduate students of history who require an engaging introduction to the subject.
Reviews / Votes
Why History Matters is a thoughtful and thought-provoking text about history and historical thinking which challenges us to consider the power of history and the power of historians to intervene in contemporary assumptions and misguided debates. - Samantha Shave, University of Lincoln, UK Tosh introduces the much-needed theory of practical historical awareness-accurate history that can be practically applied to the present. * Heather Barry, St Joseph's College New York, USA * Why History Matters makes clear the societal benefits of critical public history, embodying John Tosh's belief that historians have a duty to promote analytical engagement with the past. * Henry Irving, Leeds Beckett University, UK *More details
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Person
John Tosh is Professor of History at the University of Roehampton, UK, Visiting Professor at Birkbeck University of London and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He is well known for his introductory text The Pursuit of History (6th edition, 2015). He has also published widely on the history of masculinities in Britain, notably A Man's Place: Masculinity and the Middle-Class Home in Victorian England (2007).
Content
Preface.- Prologue: Britain in Iraq.- Contending Histories.- Other Worlds.- Becoming Ourselves.- Parallels in the Past.- The Family in Crisis: a Case-Study.- History Goes Public.- The Citizen's Resource.- Conclusion.- Postscript: British Historians and Brexit.- Notes.- Select Bibliography.