Review

Textbooks, Readers, and References

Ludmilla Jordanova's History in Practice treads on the territory covered in many other books on the nature and practice of history, but illuminates that territory in quite distinctive and original ways. The author, who holds a chair at the University of East Anglia, sets out to write what she calls "an 'anthropology' of history" that examines the inner workings of the discipline. Her three goals are to provide an up-to-date overview of important issues in the discipline, to locate history in the context of other related disciplines, and to "sketch in what historians actually do and how and why they do it." The result is a nuanced, multi-layered, and admirably brief, meditation on history's place in and contributions to the intellectual life of our new century. The chapters examine, in sequence, the infrastructure of the profession (education, professional organizations, journals); the myriad faces of history today; history's relationship with other disciplines (especially anthropology, sociology, philosophy and literature); the status of historical knowledge; periodisation; public history; and the nature of the historian's skills. In covering these diverse topics Jordanova displays an intimate familiarity with a broad range of historical literature. The footnotes alone are almost worth the price of admission.	1
At a time when various post-modernist critics have questioned the legitimacy of historical knowledge, the author is passionate in her defense of the "genuine significance [of history] and its capacity to speak meaningfully about past times." She certainly accepts the notion that historical knowledge is a social construction, but sees this as a strength rather than a liability. "For historical writings to be informed by our passions and values is not just inevitable," she writes, "it is good in that it lends them energy." Because of this, she argues that it is always important to know an author's position, and, taking her own advice, she includes a good deal of autobiographical detail in the opening and concluding sections of the book. (She is a feminist whose primary area of expertise is the philosophy and history of science.)	2
The heart of the book is the chapter on public history, which Jordanova defines quite broadly. "Public history [she asserts] is popular history," intended for a mass audience, and it includes not only periodicals and books written for the general public, but museums, documentaries, historical fiction, and public memorials. Since historical understandings are an important part of public discourse, it is important for historians to serve publics beyond the walls of the academy. "If I have one wish for the future of the discipline,"Jordanova writes, "it is that it embrace the possibilities for which 'public history' stands as a shorthand." Historians are best qualified "to demonstrate to the public how fatuous and dangerous the crude moral polarities are that are so often invoked in history's name."	3
Reflecting her advocacy of public history, Jordanova says she is writing primarily for general readers and students. In truth, the book is far more appropriate for students (advanced or graduate students at that) than for the general reader. Non-professionals and beginning students would probably not be much interested in some sections of the book, and they might—without at least some background—have a hard time understanding others. However, the book will provide an extremely valuable overview of the current state of the profession for those planning to enter it. One unique feature of the book is its international perspective, providing readers with a view of the state of the profession in Britain, the United States and other countries in Western Europe.	4
Jordanova claims she is not writing the book for peers, but, since she emphasizes the rapid changes that have occurred in all corners of the profession in recent decades, many professional historians—especially those not teaching in graduate school environments or those responsible for skills and methods classes—will find a wealth of useful material here. Additionally, teachers at many levels might benefit from reading her comments on pedagogy and curriculum design. A sound history education, she asserts, should mix a variety of substantive courses with skills-based courses. Students should study world history, national histories, thematic histories, and local history, because each level illustrates a different set of historical problems. And, of the important historical skills, "the main one is critical reading—the ability to dismantle any piece of writing as fully and rigorously as possible." In sum, Professor Jordanova has written a lively, trenchant, up-to-date overview of the state of history at the turn of the century. It satisfies our need for both theoretical understanding and practical advice.	5
Webster University   Michael J. Salevouris

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