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History
Why It Matters
Series: Why It Matters
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History
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
Ideal for students, educators, and readers interested in history, politics, and media literacy, this book appeals to those seeking a deeper understanding of how history functions in contemporary society and why honest historical inquiry is crucial.
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Description
We justify our actions in the present through our understanding of the past. But we live in a time when politicians lie brazenly about historical facts and meddle with the content of history books, while media differ wildly in their reporting of the same event. Frequently, new discoveries force us to re-evaluate everything we thought we knew about the past.
So how can any certainty about history be established, and why does it matter? Lynn Hunt shows why the search for truth about the past, as a continual process of discovery, is vital for our societies. History has an essential role to play in ensuring honest presentation of evidence. In this way, it can foster humility about our present-day concerns, a critical attitude toward chauvinism, and an openness to other peoples and cultures. History, Hunt argues, is our best defense against tyranny.
Introducing Polity's Why It Matters series; in these short and lively books, world-leading thinkers make the case for the importance of their subjects and aim to inspire a new generation of students.
Series: Why It Matters
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Modern Languages
It might seem as if globalisation is making the whole world speak English. But spend time in any major city and you are likely to encounter a cornucopia of languages. Even monolingual people have different ways of speaking to their bosses or teachers, their intimate friends or their pets. And if you live in India or Nigeria, you might use...Paperback$2399Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Psychology
You are remarkable: You experience a vast range of thoughts and feelings, including falling in love, remembering last Tuesday, and contemplating the meaning of life. And you can carry out all sorts of astonishing behaviours, such as sauntering down the street, singing in falsetto, and riding a unicycle. Psychologists study every aspect of how you think, feel, and behave. Psychology...Paperback$2399Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Archaeology
History lies beneath our feet and in the landscapes around us. In contrast to the history that comes from studying texts, archaeology is the study of history through objects, monuments, and other traces of past lives: history that extends beyond the earliest writings into the deep past, revealing the varied pathways that led to the present, and the challenges—often similar...Paperback$2399Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Journalism
Despite the criticisms that have been levelled at news organisations in recent years and the many difficulties they face, journalism matters. It matters, argues Schudson, because it orients people daily in the complex and changing worlds in which they live. It matters because it offers a fact-centred, documented approach to pertinent public issues. It matters because it keeps watch on...Paperback$2399Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Theology and Religion
Graham Ward argues that the study of theology and religion, as a single academic discipline, plays a vital role in helping us to understand politics, world affairs, and the nature of humanity itself. Religion can be used to justify inhumane actions, but it also feeds dreams, inspires hopes, and shapes aspirations. By invoking a sense of wonder about the natural...Paperback$2399Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Archaeology
History lies beneath our feet and in the landscapes around us. In contrast to the history that comes from studying texts, archaeology is the study of history through objects, monuments, and other traces of past lives: history that extends beyond the earliest writings into the deep past, revealing the varied pathways that led to the present, and the challenges –...Hardback$8399Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Geography
Ever since humans sketched primitive maps in the dirt, the quest to understand our surroundings has been fundamental to our survival. Studying geography revealed that the earth was round, showed our ancestors where to plant crops, and helped them appreciate the diversity of the planet. Today, the world is changing at an unprecedented pace, as a result of rising sea...Paperback$2399Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
History
We justify our actions in the present through our understanding of the past. But we live in a time when politicians lie brazenly about historical facts and meddle with the content of history books, while media differ wildly in their reporting of the same event. Frequently, new discoveries force us to re-evaluate everything we thought we knew about the past....Paperback$2399Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Literature
‘Facts alone are wanted in life,’ exclaims Mr Gradgrind at the beginning of Dickens’ Hard Times. Literature is not about facts alone, and – despite two and a half thousand years of arguments – no one can agree on what it is, or how to study it. But, argues Robert Eaglestone, it is precisely the open-ended nature of literature that...Paperback$2399Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Philosophy
We constantly disagree with each other on issues of fundamental importance. Does God exist? Should the latest scientific findings be trusted? Are there innate psychological differences between men and women? In four lively chapters, Beebee and Rush explain philosophy’s role in addressing such questions. They consider what it means to be human, how we should engage in public debate, philosophy’s...Paperback$3599Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Anthropology
Humanity is at a crossroads. We face mounting inequality, escalating political violence, warring fundamentalisms and an environmental crisis of planetary proportions. How can we fashion a world that has room for everyone, for generations to come? What are the possibilities, in such a world, of collective human life? These are urgent questions, and no discipline is better placed to address...PaperbackSold Out
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Praised as an essential and timely examination of historical study, History is lauded by experts such as Jill Lepore and Sir David Cannadine for its brilliant and provocative insights. The Los Angeles Review of Books highlights Hunt’s authoritative voice amid modern misinformation, while the Times Literary Supplement describes it as a brief yet lively call to arms about the value of history.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781509525546
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 28 March 2018
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Polity Press
Audience: Tertiary education
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 10.0mm
Width: 122.0mm
Height: 188.0mm
Weight: 136g
Pages: 140
About the Author
Lynn Hunt is a world-renowned historian of Europe who has written numerous scholarly and popular history books. Her books have been translated into fourteen languages and read by tens of thousands of students across the globe. She is former President of the American Historical Association, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the American Philosophical Society, as well as Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy.
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