History: What and Why?

This is an introductory survey of the philosophy of history from classical models to the present day. Taking a postmodern view, it considers what history has meant and why, and discusses the relation of history, philosophy and historiography.

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History: What and Why? is an introductory survey of the nature and purpose of history.
Beverley Southgate argues that the traditional model of the subject as a re-discovery of the past `as it was' has now been superseded. It has been successfully challenged by developments in other disciplines, such as linguistics, psychology and philosophy, together with the work of Marxist, feminist and post-colonial historians.
This book combines a historical perspective with a clear guide to current debates about the nature of history. It proposes a positive role for historical study in the postmodern era.