Pseudohistory

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'''Pseudohistory''' is the deliberate falsification of history, by tampering with historical records for one's political agenda, which are often not properly researched, [[peer-review]]ed, or supported by the usual historiographical methods. One of the primary examples of pseudohistory is [[Holocaust denial]], but many types of conspiracy theories are also properly classed as pseudohistory.

One of the characteristics distinguishing pseudohistory from history is shared with other forms of pseudo-scholarship: the choice of medium. Normal scholarly debate, including legitimate historical revisionism, is conducted in specialized publications such as journals. Many pseudohistorians jump that step and directly publish their claims in a popular format, in books and articles aimed at the non-specialist general public that cannot effectively evaluate their plausibility.

Though ''real'' history has many gaps and plausible assumptions are sometimes necessary, the historians behind it seek the truth and while mistakes can be made, they are honest ones. Pseudohistory is the work of intentional revisionism or [[Delusion|deluded]] [[Confirmation bias|attempts to desperately prop up]] [[belief]]s. This isn't to say different presumptions of history are unreasonable given ambiguous findings, but reasonable historians don't try to [[shoehorn]] their agenda into the past. Honest historical research tries to find the blanks that need to be filled in. Pseudohistory treats past events like Mad Libs.

== Challenge to mainstream history ==

Pseudohistory presents many of the same challenges to mainstream academic history as [[Pseudoscience|pseudoscience]] does to science, but with certain significant differences. The most important difference is that history is an academic discipline, rather than a scientific one. This means that mainstream history is very dependent on a set of shared ethical academic standards and methods, and on peer review.

However, supporters of pseudohistorical theories often specifically deny the validity of these mainstream standards and methods, and denounce the [[peer review]] process as prejudiced towards the academic establishment, attempting instead to gain popular appeal. This lack of common ground can often make it difficult for mainstream historians to refute the pseudohistorical claims.

Pseudohistory is often born out of a desire to achieve a particular, predetermined result — often to justify some present-day action or agenda. Holocaust denial specifically aids in the defense of [[Neo-Nazi]]sm, while more generally [[nationalist pseudohistory]] uses alternative chronologies to make a country or nation more prominent or powerful in history or to accentuate victimhood to promote a [[nationalism|nationalist]] cause. One example is the 1776 Project, which attempts to give a history of the United States in an overly patriotic perspective.<ref> https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1254926</ref>

== In conjunction with other pseudo-disciplines ==

Pseudohistory often joins forces with [[pseudoarchaeology]] — as coupled either with belief in alleged ancient civilizations (such as [[Atlantis]]), or with the teachings of [[New Age]] sources such as [[Ramtha]] or the ''[[Urantia Book]]'' — claiming historical events and [[timeline]]s occurred which did not actually happen. "Ramtha", for example, is a [[channelling|channelled]] being who claims to have led a conquering army over 2/3 of the Earth 35,000 years ago. [[National mysticism]] combines pseudohistory and pseudoarchaeology with an alleged history of a particular racial or national group, claiming an [[Nationalist pseudohistory |ancient and sometimes supernatural origin of a modern people]] (perhaps linked with claims to a modern homeland) unsupportable by genuine history. Some esoteric [[Hitler]] admirers hold to such beliefs, claiming an ancient Atlantean origin of the "[[Aryan]]" people. Some of the actual [[Nazi]]s dabbled in such beliefs as well, and in the early days of German National Socialism, various Nazis were either members or invited to meeting of the {{wpl|Thule Society}} ([[Thule]] being a land in Nordic [[myth]] with similarity to Atlantis). Another example of the conflation of pseudohistory with mysticism is the historical claims in the ''[[Book of Mormon]]''  (published 1830) that the Native Americans are descended from a family of Israelites who migrated to the Americas during [[Old Testament]] times. Some [[Baptist]]s, mostly [[Independent Baptist]]s, hold to a pseudohistorical myth of Baptist successionism, claiming a direct line of Baptists back to the first century [[Christian]] church. [[Biblical literalism|Biblical literalists]], confusing myth and legend with verifiable historical events, tend to use [[Bible|collections of ancient tales and prophecies]] as  an alleged {{wpl|primary source}} key to calibrating historical timelines and to inventing historical/[[theology|theological]] {{wpl|periodization||s.}}

== See also ==
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* [[Alternate historical chronology]]
* [[Afrocentrism#Afrocentrism|Afrocentrism]]
* [[Ancient Aliens]]
* [[Conspiracy theory]]
* [[Flat Earth]]
* [[Historical revisionism]]
* [[Holocaust denial]]
* ''[[Holy Blood, Holy Grail]]''
* "[[Irish slaves]]"
* [[Japan#Historical revisionism and denialism|Japanese war crimes denial]] (or "Asian Holocaust denial")
** [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki]]
** [[Comfort women]]
** ''[[Nippon Kaigi]]''
** [[Rape of Nanjing]]
** [[Unit 731]]
** ''[[Yasukuni Shrine]]''
* [[Mohenjo-daro]]
* [[National mysticism]]
* [[Nationalism in history textbooks]]
* [[Nationalist pseudohistory]]
* [[Phantom island]]
* [[Pre-Columbian contact hypotheses]]
* [[Propaganda]]
* [[Protochronism]]
* ''[[The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion]]''
* [[Pseudoarchaeology]]
* [[Rapa Nui]]
* [[Ben Shapiro]]
* [[Thracomania]]
* [[Venetic theory]]
* [[WallBuilders]]
* [[Young earth creationism]]
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==References==
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[[Category:Pseudohistory|*| ]]

Categories: Pseudohistory