The River of History: Trans-national and Trans-disciplinary Perspectives on the Immanence of the PastPeter Farrugia Does history matter any more? In an era when both the past and memory seem to be sources of considerable interest and, frequently, lively debate, has the academic discipline of history ceased to offer the connection between past and present experience that it was originally intended to provide? In short, has History become a bridge to nowhere, a structure over a river whose course has been permanently altered? This is the overarching question that the contributors to The River of History: Trans-national and Trans-disciplinary Perspectives on the Immanence of the Past seek to answer. Drawn from a broad spectrum of scholarly disciplines, the authors tackle a wide range of more specific questions touching on this larger one. Does history, as it is practised in universities, provide any useful context for the average Canadian or has the task of historical consciousness-shaping passed to filmmakers and journalists? What can the history of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal conceptions of land and property tell us about contemporary relations between these cultures? Is there a way to own the past that fosters sincere stock-taking without proprietary interest or rigid notions of linearity? And, finally, what does the history of technological change suggest about humanity's ability to manage the process now and in the future? The philosopher Heraclitus once likened history to a river and argued for its otherness by stating that "No man can cross the same river twice, because neither the man nor the river is the same." This collection reconsiders this conceptualization, taking the reader on a journey along the river in an effort to better comprehend the ways in which past, present, and future are interconnected. With Contributions By: Jeffrey Scott Brown A.R. Buck Carol B. Duncan Peter Farrugia James Gerrie Leo Groarke Stephen F.Haller John S. Hill John McLaren M. Carleton Simpson Robert Wright Nancy E. Wright |
Contents
Navigating the River of History | 1 |
Whither History? Professional Historians Specialization and Popularization | 33 |
Sharper than Any TwoEdged Sword History Colonialism and Land | 77 |
Past Present and Future Tense How Do We Own the Past? | 147 |
Common terms and phrases
A.J.P. Taylor Aboriginal action Alliance Atlantis American argued Australia automobile Books Brantford British broadcasting Cambridge Canada Canadian Canadian History cars catastrophe colonial concept of property congestion consciousness contemporary context Contextual Module critical CRTC culture David debate discourse documentary documents Doukhobor edited essay ethical example experience free selectors future George Grant German global Granatstein Grosse Politik Harold Innis historians History Channel History Television human Ibid ideas interpretation issues John Journal land Leo Groarke liberal lives London Marshall McLuhan McLuhan and Grant Media Melbourne memory ment models modern moral narrative nation nuclear winter past Pepper Philosophy political poor popular present programming question responsibility Rieff roads Robertson Land Acts role settler social society South Wales Spiritual Baptist story suggests Suissa Sydney Morning Herald theory therapeutic tion Toronto tradition travessao twelve-step understanding World Wright York Yorta Yorta Yorta