REVIEW
|
|
The Houses of History: A critical reader in 20th century history and theory Available from HTANSW:
|
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
