The Combing of History

by David William Cohen

Overview

How is historical knowledge produced? And how do silence and forgetting figure in the knowledge we call history? Taking us through time and across the globe, David William Cohen's exploration of these questions exposes the circumstantial nature of history. His investigation uncovers the conventions and paradigms that govern historical knowledge and historical texts and reveals the economic, social, and political forces at play in the production of history.

Drawing from a wide range of examples, including African legal proceedings, German and American museum exhibits, Native American commemorations, public and academic debates, and scholarly research, David William Cohen explores the "walls and passageways" between academic and non-academic productions of history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780226112787
Publisher:	University of Chicago Press
Publication date:	06/25/1994
Edition description:	1
Pages:	290
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

David William Cohen is professor of history and anthropology and director of the International Institute at the University of Michigan.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Preface
1. The Production of History
2. Namuluta v. Kazibwe
3. The Economy of Debate
4. Silences of the Living, Orations of the Dead
5. Pim's Doorway
6. Ditmar's Revenge
7. Tisdale Divide
8. The Constitution of Expertise
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index