Values and perspectives in historical accounts

Values and perspectives in historical accounts

Here is an article on the education, censorship and the role of the textbook in the curriculum.
C.K. Lau, of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, reacting to the issue of doctoring textbooks for political purposes, challenges a particular view of the history textbook:

TASK: As you read through the passage, consider these questions:

1. Do the points Lau makes about history textbooks match your own experience?
2. How can we avoid making value judgements if 'value-free' history is not possible?

"Putting history into perspective"

The crux of the problem seems to lie in the general expectation for history textbooks to contain a definitive account of what happened in the past.

Although the history syllabus stresses the importance of cultivating an objective attitude and analytical mind in students, most history textbooks are written in such a way as to show history as a compilation of irrefutable facts.

Those facts may have been evaluated by historians, but the evaluation process is not evident in textbooks for secondary students. One can argue it is pointless for textbooks to list different views on a historical event when historians have reached a consensus on which one is most credible. This is particularly true of events which happened a long time ago. Perhaps, what textbook writers should try to do in writing about recent events is to present as many credible versions as possible to remind students (that) the issue is still unsettled.

Interestingly, Lau goes on to say:

Although historians are prone to say there is no such thing as ‘value-free’ history, we should, nevertheless, hope the Education Department would continue to watch out for texts which may carry ‘implications of value judgement’

[Extract from article in the South China Morning Post 8.7.94]

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Comments on "Putting history into perspective"

The issue of 'value-free' history, or any other subject, is problematic and often contains hints of contradiction. Every history is someone's account of what happened and why. Look again at what Harvey and MacDonald say about the Positivist and Phenomenological perspectives for looking at the world.

Here is some advice on being a sceptical or critical reader

In any field, make sure that you are not agreeing with a statement just because:
- it sounds attractive
- it agrees with your point of view (though this is hard to avoid)
- it is written or spoken by a specialist or person in authority
When reading a text, ask yourself questions such as:
- What is this writer trying to say?
- Has the writer got his or her facts right?
- Is s/he arguing from evidence or assumptions?
- Does the argument lack balance, combining bias with omission?
- Are there logical faults, such as false premises, in the argument?

Interpretation depends on a critical and questioning approach towards reading, identifying the inevitable biases and the possible weaknesses in a writer's argument.