V5: History

Question 1

What are the three meanings of history according to Arthur Marwick?

Answer 1

History as the past itself:

• connotes the entire human past as it actually happened (synonymous with the past)
• Past is too vast to fully grasp/record

History as an attempt to describe and interpret the past

• Mans attempt to describe and interpret that past (on the basis of framentory evidence)
• history as a narration: historians choose what to emphasize (biasis, subjective)
• piecing together and linking evidence

History as an academic discipline:

• 19th Century: history as a discipline (modern academic discipline)

Question 2

What was Leopold von Ranke’s approach to history?

Answer 2

History should be written “as it actually was”

• Based on the idea that historians should be neutral and objective, relying on primary sources to reconstruct events.

Criticism: historical knowledge is always political—even the decision about which sources to use reflects biases.

Question 3

How does history challenge dominant social narratives (Giles and Middelton)?

Answer 3

Traditional history often ignored marginalized groups (e.g., women, colonized peoples, workers).

• By making these groups visible, historians can challenge the idea that the existing social order is “natural”.

Examples:

• feminist history
• postcolonial history
• studies of working-class movements.

Question 4

What is E.P. Thompson’s perspective on historiography?

Answer 4

History has traditionally only remembered the “winners”—those whose actions aligned with later developments.

• He calls for a “history from below”, focusing on ordinary people and their role in shaping history.

He highlights groups often ignored, such as workers, artisans, and radical activists

Question 5

What is Roland Barthes’ concept of myth in history?

Answer 5

• Myth is constituted by the loss of historical quality of things

Key Features of Myth:

• Removes historical complexity → Presents events as simple truths. (Britain stood alone in WWII -> A lot of countries helped)
• Used for political & ideological purposes → E.g., Britain “stood alone” in WWII in Brexit convos
• Makes ideas seem natural & eternal → E.g., “boys like blue, girls like pink.” (just social construct not inherint)
• Efficient & persuasive → Not about truth, but about how things are made to seem true.

Function of myth:

• empty reality / history and fill it with nature
• romanticising the past
• natural things explanation
• political tool -> shaping national identity

Question 6

What is the role of heritage in history?

Answer 6

Heritage refers to what is inherited from the past, including artifacts, buildings, and traditions.

Organizations like English Heritage and the National Trust preserve historical sites.

Heritage often blends education and entertainment, raising debates about whether it presents history accurately.

Question 7

What are common criticisms of the heritage industry?

Answer 7

Commercialization – Many heritage sites focus on tourism, leading to souvenir shops and mass consumption of history.

Romanticization of British history – Focuses on aristocratic traditions while ignoring marginalized histories.

Elitism in historical interpretation – Professional historians sometimes look down on heritage sites as “less serious” than academic history.

Disneyfication – The past is sometimes transformed into a sanitized, entertaining product rather than a complex, critical examination.