Filed under: History and Historians
Cf. Greg Marx, “Embrace the Wonk,” Columbia Journalism Review (May/June 2010); Chris Beam, “The Only Politics Article You’ll Ever Have to Read: What if political scientists covered the news?” Slate, 4 June 2010; Conor Friedersdorf, “It Depends Who Writes the News,” True/Slant, 7 June 2010; Jonathan Chait, “A Sociologist Covers the News,” The New Republic, 7 June 2010; and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, trans. John Sibree, Philosophy of History (New York: American Home Library Company, 1902), §4:66.
Image cite: Frank Wuestefeld, “Shit Happens,” Flickr, CC License
Filed under: History and Historians | Tags: Keith Thomas, Notes, Research methods
Or, Back of the Hand History
Historians are like reliable local guides. Ideally, they will know the terrain like the backs of their hands. They recognise all the inhabitants and have a sharp eye for strangers and impostors. They may not have much sense of world geography and probably can’t even draw a map. But if you want to know how to get somewhere, they are the ones to take you.
~Keith Thomas, “Diary,” London Review of Books 32, No. 11 (10 June 2010)
Balthus Van Tassel, “Sacromonte – Travel guide,” Flickr, CC License