The use and abuse of history, or, How the past is taught to children
By: Marc Ferro, with a new preface by the author ; translated by Norman Stone and Andrew Brown.
Edition: Rev. ed.
Series: Routledge classics
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2003
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 390
Subjects: History -- Study and teaching (Elementary); Historiography; Prejudices in children; Textbook bias
Other titles: How the past is taught to children
Description: This is a book for anyone interested in history, what it is and where it comes from. Engaging and challenging, it confronts us with the many "histories" that exist and have existed around the world, from the Zulu kingdoms to Communist China. The Use and Abuse of History takes as its starting point the way history is taught to children. The different narratives that constitute the histories of countries as diverse as India, Iran, Trinidad and the United States make for fascinating reading in their own right. What makes this book so valuable, though, is what these narratives tell us about the societies which created them--how much is history distorted in order to condition the minds of those who are taught it? A pioneer in its field that has become a key text of contemporary historiography, this is a book that poses fundamental and disturbing questions about the use and abuse of history.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.