ENGLISH

History, Policy and Public Purpose: Historians and Historical Thinking in Government

By Alix R. Green (auth.)

Book information

Publisher
Palgrave Macmillan UK
Year
2016
ISBN
978-1-137-52085-2, 978-1-137-52086-9
DOI
10.1057/978-1-137-52086-9
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
2 MB (1752435 bytes)
Edition
1
Pages
IX, 146\152
Time added
2016-11-20 09:00:00
generalHistory

Description

This book takes a fresh look at the connection between history and policy, proposing that historians rediscover a sense of ‘public purpose’ that can embrace political decision-making – and also enhance historical practice. Making policy is a complex and messy affair, calling on many different forms of expertise and historians have often been reluctant to get involved in policy advice, with those interested in ‘history in public’ tending to work with museums, heritage sites, broadcasters and community organisations. Green notes, however, that historians have also insisted that ‘history matters’ in public policy debate, and been critical of politicians’ distortions or neglect of the past. She argues that it is not possible to have it both ways.

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