I just listened to the Revisionist History episode of Stuff You Should Know.
As they suggest, all history is by nature revisionist. We always change how we see and interpret the past, based on what’s important to us now (and sometimes just new information).
For a while now, historians have looked more at economy and class, gender, ethnicity, religion, and more. They have used these as filters, and looked at history from the perspective of groups previously left out such as women, children, non-European ethnic groups, the working class and poor, and religious minorities.
Two things were not mentioned in the podcast:
First, the difference between focusing on “ordinary” people vs. extraordinary people in history. Both has it’s value, and more historians are now focusing on the history of the ordinary people. How was their life and conditions? (This was a big part of my history classes in school.)
The other is looking at history through the filter of nonhuman species, ecosystems, and future generations. If history is, at least partly, about giving voice to the voiceless, and giving focus to the previously invisible, then this has to be included. How has our actions through history impacted nonhuman species and ecosystems, and also future generations? How have we treated these? How have they been ignored, or included and valued, in our decision process?
A Green History of the World by Clive Pointing is an example from the 90s, and many people in the Deep Ecology and ecopsychology world have addressed the topic, but it’s still not included in mainstream history. It will, most likely, and perhaps sooner rather than later as ecological and sustainability issues become more and more obviously important to us.
Some green history questions that come to mind:
How have we (humans, at different places and times through history) treated the nonhuman world? How have we treated nonhuman species, nature, ecosystems? How have we treated future generations? (Both human and nonhuman.)
Have they been ignored? Included in our decision making? Respected? Have we been blind to them? Have we justified mistreatment of them, and how?
And why? How has our world view, values, fears, survival needs and more influenced this?
What can we learn from this? How does it apply to our current situation? What are the lessons?
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Initial notes…..
– sysk revisionist history (all history is, of course)
– gender, class, ethnicity, religion – different filters, perspectives
– give voice to the voiceless, the ones previously left out, – more inclusive, richer picture
– also include….. (a) groups, “ordinary” people vs extraordinary people/individuals, and (b) nonhuman species, nature, ecosystems, future generations (impacts on these, how they have been treated, related to, through history)
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For a while now, history has included the perspectives of groups previously left out such as