The Latest Catastrophe

History, the Present, the Contemporary

Nonfiction, History, Reference, Historiography, European General
Cover of the book The Latest Catastrophe by Henry Rousso, University of Chicago Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Henry Rousso ISBN: 9780226165370
Publisher: University of Chicago Press Publication: July 6, 2016
Imprint: University of Chicago Press Language: English
Author: Henry Rousso
ISBN: 9780226165370
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Publication: July 6, 2016
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Language: English

The writing of recent history tends to be deeply marked by conflict, by personal and collective struggles rooted in horrific traumas and bitter controversies. Frequently, today’s historians can find themselves researching the same events that they themselves lived through. This book reflects on the concept and practices of what is called “contemporary history,” a history of the present time, and identifies special tensions in the field between knowledge and experience, distance and proximity, and objectivity and subjectivity.

Henry Rousso addresses the rise of contemporary history and the relations of present-day societies to their past, especially their legacies of political violence. Focusing on France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, he shows that for contemporary historians, the recent past has become a problem to be solved. No longer unfolding as a series of traditions to be respected or a set of knowledge to be transmitted and built upon, history today is treated as a constant act of mourning or memory, an attempt to atone. Historians must also negotiate with strife within this field, as older scholars who may have lived through events clash with younger historians who also claim to understand the experiences. Ultimately, The Latest Catastrophe shows how historians, at times against their will, have themselves become actors in a history still being made.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The writing of recent history tends to be deeply marked by conflict, by personal and collective struggles rooted in horrific traumas and bitter controversies. Frequently, today’s historians can find themselves researching the same events that they themselves lived through. This book reflects on the concept and practices of what is called “contemporary history,” a history of the present time, and identifies special tensions in the field between knowledge and experience, distance and proximity, and objectivity and subjectivity.

Henry Rousso addresses the rise of contemporary history and the relations of present-day societies to their past, especially their legacies of political violence. Focusing on France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, he shows that for contemporary historians, the recent past has become a problem to be solved. No longer unfolding as a series of traditions to be respected or a set of knowledge to be transmitted and built upon, history today is treated as a constant act of mourning or memory, an attempt to atone. Historians must also negotiate with strife within this field, as older scholars who may have lived through events clash with younger historians who also claim to understand the experiences. Ultimately, The Latest Catastrophe shows how historians, at times against their will, have themselves become actors in a history still being made.

More books from University of Chicago Press

Cover of the book Love Game by Henry Rousso
Cover of the book Calle Florista by Henry Rousso
Cover of the book Hardship and Happiness by Henry Rousso
Cover of the book Heidegger and the Myth of a Jewish World Conspiracy by Henry Rousso
Cover of the book Readings in Russian Civilization Rev Ed Vol 2 by Henry Rousso
Cover of the book On War and Writing by Henry Rousso
Cover of the book God Owes Us Nothing by Henry Rousso
Cover of the book Excommunication by Henry Rousso
Cover of the book Paying with Their Bodies by Henry Rousso
Cover of the book On Knowing--The Natural Sciences by Henry Rousso
Cover of the book High-Skilled Migration to the United States and Its Economic Consequences by Henry Rousso
Cover of the book Life by Algorithms by Henry Rousso
Cover of the book Political Ethnography by Henry Rousso
Cover of the book Truth-Spots by Henry Rousso
Cover of the book Moral Politics by Henry Rousso
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy