The Work of History by Pihlainen, Kalle;

Short description:

Since the appearance of his seminal work Metahistory in 1973, Hayden White's thought has been central to the field of historical theory and hence, at least ostensibly, also to history. Despite the radical theoretical change marked by that book and White's subsequent work, the history theory debate is still largely disregarded by historians in their practices. This book seeks to remedy this situation by providing new insight into White's work and examining the ways his thinking has shifted since his initial publication.

Long description:

Since the appearance of Hayden White’s seminal work Metahistory in 1973, constructivist thought has been a key force within theory of history and has at times even provided inspiration for historians more generally. Despite the radical theoretical shift marked by constructivism and elaborated in detail by its proponents, confusion regarding many of its practical and ethical consequences persists, however, and its position on truth and meaning is routinely misconstrued. To remedy this situation, The Work of History seeks to mediate between constructivist theory and history practitioners’ intuitions about the nature of their work, especially as these relate to the so-called fact–fiction debate and to the literary challenges involved in the production of historical accounts. In doing so, the book also offers much-needed insight into debates about our experiential relations with the past, the political use of history and the role of facts in the contestation of power.

"...the disruptive interventions for which Pihlainen advocates translate into a moral imperative to wake people from their dogmatic slumber and realize that they alone can imbue history with whatever meaning it has. The work of history for Pihlainen is to make serious readers of us all."

Paul A. Roth, Journal of the Philosophy of History

"It is too early to pronounce the end of postmodernism in history, claims Kalle Pihlainen in his provocative book The Work of History. We cannot afford to eschew oppositional history, rather there is a need to rediscover resistance. In critically dissecting the main debates in contemporary history and theory (the relation of facts to fiction, naïve positions on experience in history, new approaches to history and the use of the past in contemporary history culture), the author offers a challenging view of what he calls ‘narrative constructivism,’ understood as a theory of opposition. The Work of History seeks to establish a relation between constructivist theory and historical practice that has the potential to deconstruct social as well as disciplinary rules and conventions."

Ewa Domańska, President of the International Commission for the History and Theory of Historiography, Professor of Human Sciences, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland, and editor of Encounters: Philosophy of History after Postmodernism.

"I once read: ‘Happy is he who does not die convinced that he has lived only a very small part of his life,’ which, freely adapted to the present situation, l would render thus: ‘Happy is the historian who does not die convinced that he has read only a very small part of history theory.’ And for those many, many, many historians who unhappily are not in this category, then who might they go to – who should they go to – to rectify their loss? I suggest Kalle Pihlainen… The Work of History is a brilliant, lucidly written forensic analysis of history theory today. It is difficult to overstate the importance of this book at this time as it argues over what is and is not to the point in history theory, what is of lasting value and what is fashionable intellectual bling, and what is liberatingly oppositional and productive as opposed to what is currently touted as ‘the new’ when it is, in fact, already tired, already old. Pihlainen’s book is an event!"

Keith Jenkins, Emeritus Professor of Historical Theory, University of Chichester, UK

"This collection of related essays reveals Kalle Pihlainen as a worthy follower of Hayden White, whose writings provide his inspiration. Focusing on such subjects as narrative and meaning, the work as a whole presents meticulously argued analyses both of ‘constructivism’ in historical writing and of its vitally important political and ethical implications. As such, it should be of interest to everyone concerned with the place of history in contemporary society and culture."

Beverley Southgate, Reader Emeritus in History of Ideas at the University of Hertfordshire, UK

"The　Work of History　offers a brilliant and concise inquiry into the legacy and limits of constructivist theories of academic history. Pihlainen succeeds in clarifying and redeploying the arguments of Hayden White and other key theorists with great precision because he emphasizes the cognitive and empirical value of historical scholarship as communicative practice.　　The　Work of History　thus leaves the reader reengaged with historical theory and looking forward to Pihlainen’s future insights into the ethics of historical writing."

Wulf Kansteiner, Professor of History, Aarhus University, Denmark, and Co-Editor of Memory Studies

"Contrary to scholars such as Martin L. Davies or Keith Jenkins, whose work tends to favour the junking of history as currently understood, Pihlainen’s understanding of constructivism offers an opportunity to conceive of history as a meaningful practice even as it defends a resolutely anti-essentialist position. History, as Pihlainen sets out, is both anti-foundationalist and antiessentialist but not anti-realist or anti-referentialist. It recognises that even if history is epistemologically problematic, it remains a meaningful activity in and for the present."

Dan Stone, Rethinking History: The Journal of Theory and Practice

"The principal take-away from this book, as seen from the perspective of its title, is that "the work of history" today needs to be better appreciated as the joint responsibility of the historian (understood as someone who "writes about," i.e. engages in representing, the past) and her reader (understood as someone interested in, or otherwise open to be moved by, "reading" these efforts). If my parenthetical additions seem to complicate what seems to be a somewhat straightforward claim, it is because things ("writing" and "reading" in particular) are complicated, and one of the most interesting features about Pihlainen’s work is that he does not shy away from this fact, indeed takes considerable pains to insist on it."

Réal Fillion, Department of Philosophy, Univers

Table of Contents:

Foreword by Hayden White

1. Narrative Truth

2. Rereading Constructivism

3. An End to Oppositional History?

4. Communication and Constraint

5. History in the World

6. Reforming Representation

7. The Confines of the Form