 |
The
Houses of History: A critical reader in 20th century
history and theory
Anna Green and Kathleen Troup
325pp. Manchester University Press, UK, 1999 |
Available from HTANSW:
Standard
price $50.00 + postage (GST inclusive).
HTA NSW member price $40.00 + postage
(GST inclusive)
Choosing the right textbook for any subject can be a challenging
task, but when the subject is History Extension, it can
be more of a dilemma than a challenge. Inspiration is
hard to come by, given the paucity of options provided
by the major publishers, unless you have a class of high-fliers
who can comfortably deal with serious university level
texts.
I turned to The Houses of History following a History
Extension lecture by Marnie Hughes-Warrington at Macquarie
University. She recommended it as an effective antidote
to the conservative chronological response to Section
1 of the HSC exam, the “trot through the historians”.
Rather than looking at a selection of historians in strict
chronological order, The Houses of History takes a theoretical
approach with practical examples. Authors Anna Green and
Kathleen Troup have selected 12 schools of historical
thought and practice, including empiricists, Annales,
ethnohistory, oral history, postcolonialism, and postructural/postmodernism.
Green and Troup provide a detailed overview of each school,
its development and distinguishing characteristics. But
most importantly, their overview is followed by a sample
chapter from a representative historian. For example,
in the section on the Annales is a lengthy extract from
Braudel’s The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean
World in the Age of Phillip II; in the section on Psychohistory,
we have an extract from Erik Erikson, “The Legend
of Hitler’s Childhood”.
History Extension students have the opportunity to not
only grasp the theory behind each school, but with these
sample chapters they also experience the particular school
at work. They develop a practical understanding of different
methodologies and purposes, an understanding that is not
locked into a chronological approach.
Most importantly, they can see overlap: they are able
to recognise that Marxist historians also employ empiricist
methodologies, and that oral history is an important aspect
of postcolonial history.
The Houses of History has proved a valuable addition to
the readings for my own classes. It challenges students
– it is, after all, written for university students
– yet remains accessible and largely free of jargon.
It poses exactly the questions we want our students to
consider. And it encourages thought well outside conventional
frameworks. As a stimulus for lengthy and fruitful discussion,
it has proven highly effective.
Greg Keith, Nagle College, Blacktown
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