Is History Fiction?

Curthoys, Ann; Docker, John

doi:10.3998/mpub.8787319

Cited by 18 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…46 Although not always seen as a postmodernist, White's suspicion of 'metahistories' or singular narratives fit neatly into the postmodern questioning of traditional narrative history, which, as Ann Curthoys and John Docker wrote, were 'both very attractive to, and deeply troubling for, historians'. 47 'Have you never heard of situationism or postmodernism? Do you know nothing about the free play of signs and signifiers?…”

Section: The Absence Of 'Realism' In Cinematic Narrativesmentioning

confidence: 98%

History and the Notion of Authenticity inControland24 Hour Party People

Smith¹

2013

Contemporary British History

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Section: The Absence Of 'Realism' In Cinematic Narrativesmentioning

confidence: 98%

History and the Notion of Authenticity inControland24 Hour Party People

Smith¹

2013

Contemporary British History

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“…However critical and reflexive historians (see for example Wyschogrod 1998;Perks et al 2003;Curthoys et al 2010) commit themselves to the possibility of multiple narratives; oral sources are seen as potentially offering an understanding of the nonvictor's history or "history from below" (Curthoys et al 2010: 140, citing historian E P Thompson), and of the cognitive, cultural and psychological factors in events (Passerini 2003: 54). First-person accounts and oral histories are thus used by historians as 'historical evidence' for alternative narratives; they are "clues …[that] need now to be harvested, selected, arranged and freed from their ambiguity" (Passerini 2003: 55).…”

Section: Historical Narrative and Life Storiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Past remarkable: Using life stories to trace alternative futures

Palmer

2014

Futures

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A life is a form of "social site" at which individuals negotiate the future.Life stories are a type of historical "trace" with implications for the future.A life story shows us many alternative futures never actualized.Storytelling is an improvised experimental event, with uncertain outcomes.In listening to life stories we can gain both foresight and the empathy to act. Geographers, vol. 30, where the future is met and negotiated. Unlike the broad sweep of historical narrative, a focus on the site of a life can reveal cumulative losses, futures denied and paths not taken. Life stories challenge historical narrative with alternative futures that 'might-have-been'; they might therefore usefully be added as a more experimental type to Inayatullah's taxonomy of historical "traces" (Inayatullah, S. 2012, 'Humanity 3000: A comparative analysis of methodological approaches to forecasting the long-term ', Foresight, vol. 14, no. 5,.A case study based on a life story from Aceh is used to demonstrate ways in which alternative futures can emerge from life stories and then be acted upon. The paper concludes that the experimental power of life stories as historical traces lies not only in the stories themselves but in the unique event of storytelling and its potentially transformative impact on the teller and listener, and hence the future.

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“…78 Similar thoughts about the importance of biographical fiction to advancing histographical epistemes have also been offered by Ros Barber. 83 Recalling Curthoys and Docker's similar thoughts on narrative representation, 84 Barber confers that innovative approaches to agents in historical narratives, at times, necessitates creative fictions. In her work on reimagining historical literary figures, Barber writes:…”

Section: 'The Anti-'lovelockmentioning

confidence: 99%