Friday, November 06, 2009

History is in itself ideological and an instrument of political power

Imprisoned by History Aspects of Historicized Life By Martin Davies
offers a controversial analysis, grounded both in philosophical argument and empirical evidence, of what history does in contemporary culture. It endorses and extends the argument that contemporary society is, in historical terms, already historicized, shaped by history – and thus history loses sight of the world, seeing it only as a reflection of its own self-image. By focusing on history as a way of thinking about the world, as a thought-style, this volume delivers a major, decisive, thought-provoking critique of a crucial aspect contemporary culture and the public sphere.

By illustrating the ways in which history enforces socially coercive attitudes and forms of behaviour, Martin Davies argues that history is therefore in itself ideological and exists as an instrument of political power. Contending that this ideological function is the "normal" function of professional academic history, he repudiates entirely the conventional view that only biased or "bad" history is ideological. By finding history projecting onto the world and getting reflected back at it the exacting, history-focused thinking and behaviour on which the discipline and the subject rely, he concludes that history’s very "normality" and "objectivity" are inherently compromised and that history works only in terms of its own self-interest. ISBN: 9780415995207 Published November 04 2009 by Routledge.

Creationism, Minus a Young Earth, Emerges in the Islamic World
New York Times - Kenneth Chang - ‎Nov 2, 2009‎
AMHERST, Mass. — Creationism is growing in the Muslim world, from Turkey to Pakistan to Indonesia, international academics said last month as they gathered here to discuss the topic... But that does not mean that all of evolution fits Islam or that all Muslims happily accept the findings of modern biology. More and more seem to be joining ...
America, a whiff of Hindu Organiser - Brad Pfeiffer - ‎Oct 12, 2009‎
Hindus believe there are many paths to God. By Ms Miller's interpretation, America has conceptually become more of a Hindu society than a Christian society. ... Media Watch
Organiser - ‎Nov 1, 2009‎
Wrote Miller: "A Hindu believes that there are many paths to God. Jesus is one way, the Quarn is another, yoga practice is a third. ... U.S. Views on God and Life Are Turning Hindu Newsweek The Smart ...
We Are All Hindus Now. By Lisa Miller NEWSWEEK
Published Aug 15, 2009 From the magazine issue dated Aug 31, 2009 America is not a Christian nation. We are, it is true, a nation founded by Christians, and according to a 2008 survey, 76 percent of us continue to identify as Christian (still, that's the lowest percentage in American history). Of course, we are not a Hindu—or Muslim, or Jewish, or Wiccan—nation, either. A million-plus Hindus live in the United States, a fraction of the billion who live on Earth. But recent poll data show that conceptually, at least, we are slowly becoming more like Hindus and less like traditional Christians in the ways we think about God, our selves, each other, and eternity.

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