Relevance Of History Research Articles

Procedure e metodologie per la conoscenza e il disegno delle architetture della città

The experience in comparative reading the architectural components as of their role in urban interrelationships provides the opportunity to promote some reflections and exemplifications on the relevance of history as a primary reference source along any path of urban growth and architectural evolution; on the meaning of the critical evaluation of the epoch and time progression in the juxtaposition of urban segments; last but not least, on identifying, thanks to the comparative tool of the ‘cross’ reading, and measuring the capability of the city’s structures to know how to develop and actively encompass the stratification that the historical process imposes to dignify and valorise the contemporary city. On the shared assumption that every survey activity is indeed an act involving measurement, geometric reference, structural and technological analysis, historical documentation, and is, above all, an interpretative reading task that seeks to provide a critical and cognitive evalu- ation of the examined architecture, it is fair to state that its primary purpose is to render the architectural qualities of the relevant elements, whether they are analysed as per their individ- uality or as part of the whole organism. By its very nature, the survey activity is committed to translating the continuum of reality into a system of features, traces, and signs, i.e., encoding elements of a linguistic code that is widely shareable and, therefore, transmissible. The tran- sition from the complexity of reality, from the continuum of architectural matter to the com- plexity of drawing sign structure, a challenging operation involving the discretisation of reality and its figurative rearrangement, inevitably implies an interpretative gestation concerning the surveyed object.

Guest Editors’ Introduction: Opening Conversations that Matter in Public Music Studies

Guest Editors’ Introduction: Opening Conversations that Matter in Public Music Studies

Introduction

At the turn of a quarter of a century since nascency, the thematic issue of our review is dedicated to a central problem of the historian’s work, that is the issue of primary sources, from the perspective of new methods of research and their interpretation. By this initiative, we wanted to extend an invitation to a reflection on the current relevance of history and its opening towards the application of some new methods of investigation suggested by the general evolution of knowledge. Of course, the sources of history essentially are still texts, artefacts and facts, and their older differentiation in traditions and vestiges is still timely, implying interesting theoretical debates, but the manner in which the researchers relate to these is permanently changing. Our review, after surpassing the search from the incipient period and, in an emphasised manner, after moving on to the exclusive publishing of thematic volumes, distinguished itself through the proposal of such new perspectives of investigating the past, which imply resorting to new sources or re-evaluating the interpretations bestowed on the traditional sources. This was the reason for organising a methodological workshop dedicated to new themes, sources and methods in historical research, which took place in Alba Iulia, on June 4 of the current year, which also proposed a suitable reflection on the tendencies of the Romanian historiography of the last three decades and its perspectives. The present volume contains part of the communications presented on that occasion, although others are relevant as well, but which could not be included in the volume. Conducted in two major sections – archaeology and cultural heritage and history – the workshop mentioned created the occasion for debates on some diverse methods of research applied to the sources.

What is history education good for? A comparative analysis of students’ conceptions about the relevance of history

ABSTRACT Secondary education students do not usually perceive history as a subject connected with their lives, backgrounds and interests. At the same time, prospective and in-service teachers do not always have a coherent vision of this discipline, which can reflect on their students’ perceptions. This study makes use of a theoretical framework developed by Van Straaten, Wilschut and Oostdam to examine the validity and reliability of the model, and to analyse secondary and tertiary education students’ conceptions about the relevance of history using three categories: developing a personal identity, becoming a citizen and understanding the human condition. This quantitative study makes use of the RHMS questionnaire with a sample of 403 participants divided into three groups: secondary education students, pre-service teachers and undergraduate history students. After conducting a confirmatory factory analysis (CFA), a one-way ANOVA indicated statistically significant differences between the groups. While pre-service teachers and history undergraduate students obtained higher scores in all three subscales than secondary education students, fundamental differences were identified between the first two groups. A discussion is presented about the importance of initial teacher training and the necessity to reinforce notions related to the relevance of history in the formative development of prospective teachers.

Offending with Fascism, Or More on the Relevance of History

Offending with Fascism, Or More on the Relevance of History

Offending with Fascism, Or More on the Relevance of History

Marlene Laruelle’s article in Russia in Global Affairs (Laruelle, 2020) addresses current political debate on Russia’s role in the world political system. However, it is of much greater interest not to argue whether modern Russia can be called “fascist” or if such a discussion can take place at all (in fact, it most certainly can, for it is already in progress: invectives of this sort are voiced both inside and outside Russia), but to talk about the theoretical—or pseudo-theoretical—basis of such debates.

Letters to the Deaf: Present-Day Relevance of History's Earliest Social Analysis of Deafness.

Harriet Martineau was a 19th-century sociologist who had a progressive form of deafness. Her 1834 essay, Letters to the Deaf, was the earliest historical document depicting the social challenges of hearing loss. Martineau details complex situations that hard-of-hearing people experienced in the 19th century such as social isolation due to frustrations with communication, physician shortcomings, limited music appreciation, and the stigma of hearing amplification devices. Her descriptions of these experiences are commonly faced by hard-of-hearing people in present-day society. Advancements in technology and recognition of the negative social impact of hearing loss have improved the social experience for the hard of hearing; however, social challenges remain relevant. In this article, we review Letters to the Deaf and note the ways in which this essay provides a dual perspective regarding how much we have advanced as a society and how much we still have to overcome in addressing the social challenges of hearing loss.

Teaching history for design at TU Delft: exploring types of student learning and perceived relevance of history for the architecture profession

Historical investigation anchors architectural and urban practice. Analyzing two sets of questionnaires distributed in different class settings, this paper explores two questions: how do design students currently learn about architectural history, and how do they translate this knowledge into their design practice? First, tentative conclusions are that (1) physical engagement with buildings outside the classroom is an important inspiration for the students, (2) (assigned) books definitely influence their (design) thinking, (3) different types of pedagogy–lecture, seminar, thesis, studio–affect student learning in different and complementary ways, and (4) students overwhelmingly see history as a relevant preparation and foundation for design, but this understanding is implicit and often unspecific.

Fostering Students’ Appraisals of the Relevance of History by Comparing Analogous Cases of an Enduring Human Issue: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Although history standards generally aim at developing historical consciousness among secondary school students, there is not much research-based knowledge to support making connections between the past, the present, and the future in history teaching. This study examines the effects of teaching analogous cases of an enduring human issue in 2 experimental conditions: 1 in which grade 10-12 students (n = 460) were actively encouraged to compare cases and to draw analogies with the present and 1 in which students studied cases without making comparisons or drawing analogies with the present (n = 273). Set against the results of a group of students who followed the usual history curriculum (n = 289), multilevel regression analyses on the collected data revealed that both experimental conditions positively affected students’ appraisals of the relevance of history, more so in the case-comparison condition than in the separate-case condition. Students in the case-comparison condition also deemed the lesson course more valuable and experienced less difficulty with the applied pedagogical approach than students in the separate-case condition. Case comparison did not negatively affect the acquisition of historical factual knowledge. Implications for further research are discussed.

Fictions, Borders, and Madness

Fictions, Borders, and Madness Matthew Salafia (bio) Andrew K. Diemer, The Politics of Black Citizenship: Free African Americans in the Mid-Atlantic Borderland, 1817–1863. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 2016. xii + 253pp. Figures, notes, bibliography, and index. $28.95. Kristen Epps, Slavery on the Periphery: The Kansas-Missouri Border in the Antebellum and Civil War Eras. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 2016. xv + 265 pp. Figures, notes, bibliography, and index. $28.95 Kristen Epps and Andrew Diemer have made valuable contributions to our collective historical knowledge, and their books deserve to be read. These historians have completed a prodigious amount of research and have based their arguments on a careful analysis of sources. And the arguments of each are clear, focused, and carefully constructed. In short, the books fulfill all of the requirements necessary for a sound historical monograph. But just prior to accepting this book review, I read Sapiens (2015) by Yuval Noah Harari, which fundamentally altered the way I approached this essay. In his book, Harari suggests (but does not assert) that Homo sapiens became the dominant species on the planet because of our ability to create and believe fictions irrespective of objective reality. Harari's hypothesis is thought-provoking, but I am not sure that it is supposed to be convincing. It does, however, open up new paths to explore the meaning and relevance of history. If we pursue Harari's hypothesis further, then storytelling of all kinds takes on great significance. The stories we tell ourselves as Homo sapiens allow us to imagine a commonality that unites us as a species. Considering Benedict Anderson's argument in Imagined Communities (1983) adds depth to Harari's hypothesis by highlighting how stories emphasize sameness and difference. In all cases, though, sameness and difference exist in our collective consciousness. The stories we tell shape our understanding of the world and our place in it. One goal of my review is to analyze the histories written by Epps and Diemer as stories. These stories, then, are part of the more general human fiction of history. By thinking of these monographs as stories and the historical method itself a fiction, I was freed to consider the broader impacts and modern relevance of each book, and to widen my definition of "relevant [End Page 601] literature." The result is a review that veers off the traditional course but follows the meandering path of careful contemplation. With each cognitive leap, I headed further down the rabbit hole. In so doing, I searched for a place for the fictions of Epps and Diemer—and history more broadly—in our collective consciousness. As part of reviews, we are expected to analyze the works in light of relevant literature. It is typically assumed that "relevant literature" refers to the other historical monographs that situate the books within the field's historiography. But what if this set of constraints actually limits the potential cognitive leaps we can make if we reimagine our concept of what is relevant? What can we gain if we put Slavery on the Periphery into conversation with current events or even novels such as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865)? The methods of Kristen Epps and Andrew Diemer differ from that of Lewis Carroll, certainly. Historians rely on the historical method: analysis of primary sources, deep contextualization, and careful argumentation. Epps and Diemer make excellent use of these organizing principles of the discipline. In their meticulously researched and carefully argued monographs, they strive for realism in the recreation of the past. In contrast, Lewis Carroll plays with language to craft an absurd (or curious) world in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Yet both approaches provide their readers with fictions that they can use to shape their own reality. Take this conversation between Alice and the Cheshire Cat: Alice thought and she went on. 'Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?' "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat. "I don't much care where-" said Alice. "Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat. "-so long as I get somewhere." Alice added as...

Churchill and the Dardanelles, by Christopher M. Bell

As the centenary commemorations of the First World War roll on, the dispassionate reader might be excused for looking askance at yet another new volume on the conflict—let alone one focused upon the personage of that most studied individual, Winston Spencer Churchill. What, they might ask, is the need for a new study of a military operation which, as Bell ably illustrates, cannot be judged to be anything other than a failure, or of a politician whose life and exploits have received such attention. Yet, while the title of this book may not appeal to those fatigued with either the First World War or with Churchill, the true nature of its subject—the making, shaping and relevance of history—surely will. For while the topic and the characters are familiar, Bell weaves his tale with great skill and provides a series of highly original new points of emphasis both in his analysis of the Dardanelles and Gallipoli campaigns and in his integration of the episode into the broader sweep of Churchill’s career as a politician and a writer.

How teaching the English Revolution (or not) became a landmark debate in German history didactics

ABSTRACTThis paper focuses on the development of history teaching in West Germany from the 1970s onwards. When in the early 1970s the relevance of history – both as an academic discipline and as a school subject – was challenged, this led to fierce debates as a multitude of new concepts were being developed. One of these was Annette Kuhn’s revolutionary concept of teaching history which immediately came under attack. This debate – and others – had far reaching consequences. At first glance it was a debate about how to model objects like the English Revolution in a way to make them suitable for the history classroom. At second glance, however, this debate revolved around fundamental issues like the role of history in school, the relation between social sciences and didactics, and history’s relevance for today in general. The debate and its eventual outcome are explained within the framework of Bourdieu’s field theory. The study re-examines the consequences of this debate. In discussing alternatives to Kuhn’s approach, it shows how debates forced upon traditional history led historians to readdress the essentials of historical thinking and thus to gain new theoretical strength which resulted in a stronger position for history at universities and schools as well as in history didactics. This resulted in a specific construction and role of Geschichtsdidaktik in Germany which helps to explain why there is a difference in comparison to other countries.

II. Relevance of History and Theory in the Historical Injustice Issues of East Asia

II. Relevance of History and Theory in the Historical Injustice Issues of East Asia

The Impact of Green Preferences on the Relevance of History Versus Expectations

In an OLG model with multiple steady states we analyse the impact of endogenous environmental policies on the relevance of history and expectations for the equilibrium selection. In a polluting regime environmental preferences cause an increasing energy tax which raises the risk that the economy transits to the inferior equilibrium under pessimistic expectations. However, higher environmental preferences imply an earlier switch to the clean energy regime. Then, the conflict between production and environmental preferences is resolved and the prospects to select the superior equilibrium improve, since positive expectations become more relevant. In an empirical analysis we find that people with environmental preferences tend to have more optimistic expectations about economic development. Using these findings to analyse the steady state dynamics implies that agents with environmental preferences support higher energy taxes and switch faster to clean production. Due to their optimism, the likelihood to reach the superior stable steady state increases.

Digging Up the Backyard: Seabrook Farms and the Importance of Critical Local Histories

This article explores Seabrook Farms as a relevant case study in how local New Jersey histories can be connected to national and international narratives about displacement, resettlement, and government-sponsored labor migrations. It examines how students can participate in the creation of new scholarship and exhibits, and illustrates that there is still much to learn about the history of our state. In order to maximize its production of frozen foods, Seabrook Farms relied on federal policies and initiatives that allowed the company to recruit and hire Japanese American internees, German POWs, guestworkers from the British West Indies, black and white farm labor from the U.S. South, and Estonian and other Eastern European refugees from Displaced Persons’ camps in postwar Germany. As this article argues, scholars concerned with the relevance of history, and the public humanities more generally, have an obligation to approach New Jersey’s past with a critical and outward-looking perspective, so as to uncover the full economic, political, and social importance of local sites and stories.

Introduction: History of Science Museums between Academics and Audiences

AbstractThis essay is an introduction to an Isis Focus section on the social and scientific relevance of history of science museums: “Why Science Museums Matter: History of Science in Museums in the Twenty-First Century.” Using the history of Museum Boerhaave, the Dutch National Museum for the History of Science and Medicine, as a guideline, the essay shows that over the course of time addressing a variety of audiences became a major worry for science museums, which also had to bridge a widening gap between popular views on history of science and those developed by professional historians of science.

Sport History Relevance and How We Need to Engage

It is important to question the relevance of sport history and to recognize our failings and our successes if we are to ensure the genre develops and contributes to society. While sport historians recognize the value, outside of this sphere, it is apparent that the subject is not always recognized for its significance. In this paper, it is argued that sport historians have a responsibility to engage more with the media and the public, while seeking opportunities to collaborate with sports organizations to ensure the subject is relevant and can develop. It is also argued that minority groups are under-represented in the sport history community, arguing that it is incumbent upon sport historians to ensure greater engagement and promotion of these groups. The paper concludes by urging those engaged in sport history to promote the discipline and develop opportunities for others.

Between Commoditization and Utilitarianism: Knowledge Production, Historical Scholarship, and Development in Nigeria

History teachers from the late twentieth century have been faced with relevance crisis of their discipline due to the commoditization of almost all disciplines and the perceived poor economic value of history. Government disposition to liberal art subjects and the highly monetized society have not helped matter as historical scholarship have been relegated. Given the continued relevance of history graduates to Nigerian economy, this paper argues that beyond its utilitarian value, its commodity value is also not in doubt; even when not flaunted, it subsists. Its economic value could be better enhanced not for the purpose of engaging in needless competition but to make it more attractive to younger generations of Nigeria while its utilitarian purpose remains.

Deep Brain Stimulation, Historicism, and Moral Responsibility

Although philosophers have explored several connections between neuroscience and moral responsibility, the issue of how real-world neurological modifications, such as Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), impact moral responsibility has received little attention. In this article, we draw on debates about the relevance of history and manipulation to moral responsibility to argue that certain kinds of neurological modification can diminish the responsibility of the agents so modified. We argue for a historicist position - a version of the history-sensitive reflection view - and defend that account against a rival, relational view of responsibility. We conclude that DBS can, under certain conditions, diminish responsibility, and explore the circumstances under which this might be so. We conclude by suggesting that philosophical debates about moral responsibility, manipulation, and history have greater practical relevance than is sometimes thought, and that attention to practical cases can help inform and deepen this body of scholarship.

History manifested: making sense of unprecedented change

An essential element usually passes unnoticed in recent discussion about how history as an academic discipline is supposed to be relevant for the shaping of our public life. It is the concept of history itself (history as both the course of events and historical writing) that underlies the whole discussion, which also configures the two currently most influential and fashionable efforts to reinstate the public relevance of history: The History Manifesto, co-authored by Jo Guldi and David Armitage, and Hayden White's The Practical Past. In advising to turn to the past in order to shape the present and the future, both books rely on the familiar developmental view that characterised nineteenth-century thinking in general, and on which the discipline of history became institutionalised in particular. The author's main contention in this essay is that turning to this notion of history is not the solution for the problem of the supposed public irrelevance of professional historical studies, but the problem itself. The developmental view, based on a presumption of a deeper continuity provided by the subject of the historical process that retains its self-identity amid all changes, certainly suited the discipline of history when it was engaged in the project of nation-building. However, it hardly fits our present concerns. These concerns, like the Anthropocene, take the shape of unprecedented change, and what they challenge is precisely the deeper continuity of the developmental view. The discipline of history can regain public relevance only insofar as it proves to be able to exhibit a thinking of its own specificity which can nevertheless explain such unprecedented changes. What such historical thinking could provide is what the developmental view can no longer: the possibility to act upon a story that we can believe.