Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “The Use and Abuse of History: Or How the Past Is Taught to Children” as Want to Read:
The Use and Abuse of History: Or How the Past Is Taught to Children
by
Use and Abuse of History has become a key text of current historiography; this is a book that poses fundamental and disturbing questions about the use and abuse of history. Engaging and challenging, this book confronts the reader with the many 'histories' that exist and have existed around the world, from the Zulu kingdoms to Communist China.
This title has now been extensi ...more
This title has now been extensi ...more
Paperback, 418 pages
Published
August 21st 2003
by Routledge
(first published 1981)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
The Use and Abuse of History,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about The Use and Abuse of History
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing 1-30)
What are schoolchildren from different countries taught in history classes? In apartheid South Africa, they are taught that Bushmen are primitive. In Senegal, they are taught about the glories of the Empire of Ghana compared to the poverty of medieval Europe; also, the Atlantic slave trade is described at length, but the slave trade with Islamic countries is not mentioned for fear of offending Muslims. In Soviet history textbooks, Trotsky is mentioned in the context of his disagreements with Len
...more
I actually didn't finish this book. It was good, but I find myself short on time lately and trying to clean out a bookshelf so if I don't love it I don't keep reading. I really love the premise of the book and found it interesting, but since I am not familiar with the individual histories I found it difficult to follow. I think I would have gotten more out of it if I was better versed in the people and events that the author was comparing.
Livre, écrit par un expert, sur les préjudices et les déformations d'enseignement scolaire de l'histoire, laquelle comme nous le savons tous, a toujours été un outil de propagande de prédiléction de tous les régimes, et le reste aujourd'hui pour notre régime actuel. L'ouvrage est rempli des faits nouveaux et anciens, plus ou moins connus, mais plutôt moins, car concentré sur l'histoire des parties du monde l'histoire modèrne desquels on étudie peu et apprécie encore moins. Les grandes lignes de
...more
Interesting comparison of the varying versions of "history" as taught in different countries. Surprising examples of how "history" taught in schools is used to teach children the prevailing political views and political agenda of governments and cultures and how the choice of what historical events to include or to leave out are based on political motives. A great stimulus for critical thinking.
( Falsificações da História )
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Marc Ferro (born 24 December 1924 in Paris) is a French historian. He has worked on early twentieth-century European history, specialising in the history of Russia and the USSR, as well as the history of cinema.
He is Director of Studies in Social Sciences at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales. He is a co-director of the French review Annales and co-editor of the Journal of Contempora ...more
More about Marc Ferro
He is Director of Studies in Social Sciences at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales. He is a co-director of the French review Annales and co-editor of the Journal of Contempora ...more
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
