The Experience of History

The Experience of History is a lively and passionate introduction to the field that encourages students to seek and appreciate history inside the classroom and beyond. This work: Defines history as a discipline and the role of historians within it Addresses the analytical and critical thinking skills needed to engage with the past Discusses a variety of important topics in the study of history, such as historical evidence, primary documents, divisions of history, forms of historical writing, historiographical traditions, and recent categories of historical research Written by a renowned scholar of European history, this work helps students to become discerning examiners of history and historical evidence in a variety of modern settings like art, architecture, film, television, politics, current events, and more. Learn more about the author and his passion for history in this interview with popular blog Five Books: http://fivebooks.com/interview/ken-bartlett-renaissance-books/.

Table of Contents:
Preface viii 1 Introduction 1 We are All Part of the Evidence 4 A Personal Example 6 2 The Historian not the History 12 Ideological History 14 Ethnic or National History 17 Distant Voices 18 Historical Style or Genre 20 The Older Historian 21 History by Non‐Historians 23 Historical Jargon 25 History in Translation 26 3 If not the Historian, then Certainly the Evidence 28 The Nature of Evidence 28 Taxation Records 30 Court or Legal Documents 32 Eye‐Witness Evidence 33 Using Evidence Requires Skill and Experience 35 Drawings as Evidence 36 Photographs as Evidence 37 Aural Evidence 38 Missing or Negative Evidence 39 Conclusion 45 4 The Periods and Divisions of History 46 Historical Periodization: History as Chunks of Time 46 The Example of the Middle Ages 47 Historical Periods Defined by Dynamic Ideas 49 Historical Periods Defined by Great Men or Women 54 Historical Periods Defined by Specific Years or Centuries 56 The Study of History through Geographical Categories 58 History as Chunks of Space 60 5 The Many and Various Forms of Historical Writing: The More Traditional Structures 64 The Chronicle 65 Political History 67 Diplomatic History 68 Legal History 69 Military History 69 Economic History 70 Subgenres of Economic History 73 Cultural and Intellectual History 73 Church or Confessional History 76 Jewish History 78 Histories of other Heterodox Religious Communities 79 6 The Many and Various Forms of Historical Writing: More Recent Categories of Historical Research 81 Social History 81 Prosopography 84 Gendered Histories 85 Women’s History 86 Feminist History 87 Gender History 88 Queer History 89 Children’s History 91 Transnational History 93 Diaspora Studies 94 Holocaust Studies 95 Genocide Studies 96 World History 97 Big History 98 7 The Writing of History 100 The Writing of History in the Past 101 The Deeds of Great Men 101 History as a Divine Plan 102 The Scientific Revolution, The Enlightenment, and the ‘Laws’ of History 103 History and Social Darwinism 104 Writing History After the Second World War 106 The Writing of History Today 107 An Example 108 Framing the Question 109 The State of the Question 110 Deciding on a Beginning and an End 111 The Contract with Your Audience 112 Structure 113 A Conclusion 114 Bibliographies and Notes 114 Maps and Illustrations 116 Envoi 117 8 Experiencing History 119 History Around Us 119 Museums and Art Galleries 125 History as Breaking News 128 Film and Television 129 Electronic Records, Social Media, and History 131 History from Evidence on the Internet 134 9 Conclusion 136 We are All Historians 136 We are All Disciples of Descartes 138 Some Final Words 140 Suggestions for Further Reading 142 Index 145

About the Author :
Kenneth Bartlett is Professor of History and Renaissance Studies at the University of Toronto, Canada. He is former President of the Canadian Society for Renaissance Studies, was the Founding Director of the University of Toronto Art Centre, and sat on the board of the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, and served as editor of Renaissance and Reformation/Renaissance et Réforme. As a Renaissance specialist, he is author of numerous publications, including A Short History of the Italian Renaissance (2013), The Northern Renaissance and the Reformation (with Margaret McGlynn, 2013), and The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance (revised edition, 2011). Bartlett has produced several multi-part video series, including The Smithsonian Essential Italy (2015), The Great Tours: Experiencing Medieval Europe (2013), The Development of European Civilization (2010), and The Italian Renaissance (2005). He has published articles and conducted workshops in Europe, China, the Middle East, and North America on university faculty development and pedagogy, and in 2005, he was awarded the prestigious 3M National Teaching Fellowship.