What is the purpose of history

Mini-Essay Assignment: What is the purpose of history?

In this liberal age where “Truth” is under assault from disinformation and fake news, students are often keen to identify bias in others, but many Canadians are less conscious of their own unquestioned assumptions.  This assignment challenges you to consider an important question: what is the purpose of history?

• Traditionally, History was seen as an objective interpretation of the past for its own sake.
• Revisionists have argued that academic historians are biased elites whose studies implicitly condone social injustice.
• Conservative historians argue that social activism is inconsistent with the historical method and will pervert the objective search for Truth.
• Conservative politicians argue that historical revisionism is bunk history to make citizens ashamed of their past and silence the voices of people with whom they disagree (Cancel Culture)

Since 1970, the North American culture wars have increasingly politicized History. Revisionist historians have challenged how the Academy traditionally presented colonial, aboriginal, and black histories. 19th-century world histories, for example, were universal in their scope, but highly Eurocentric in being focused on Western states, white men, and the European cultural experience to the neglect of women, non-the suffering of ethnic minorities, or the experience of non-Western cultures. 

Five Dimensions of Euro-Centrism:

• Obsessive focus upon Western countries and cultures (ethnocentric unrepresentative coverage);
• relative neglect of the experience of visible minorities in Western societies, women, and the global poor (History as patriotism);
• Promoting stories about Western generosity and benevolence that are at best partially true to obscure and forget shameful chapters of the national story (heroic making of Canada);
• White-washing exploitation by emphasizing the heroism of white pioneers, downplaying genocidal campaigns of settlement, or ignoring how the economic development of western states was rooted in a capitalist system (civilizing mission myth);
• Depicting non-Western history as a series of tragedies rooted in indigenous ignorance, lack of discipline, or intelligence (white supremacy myth).

Part I. Research the Politicization of History (25 MNs): The key to writing a good argument is to master the topic. This assignment challenges you to think critically about the purpose of history.

• Watch Nikole HannahJones detail the rationale behind the 1619 Project (7 MNs): Jones details how the 1619 project was designed to correct fundamental misrepresentations about race written into the national story.
• Watch Donald Trump condemn the 1619 Project (7MNs): Trump argues that the 1619 project ia a poison that amounts to ideological indoctrination that will destroy “our country.”
• Watch Jordan Peterson condemn cancel culture (2 MNs):Peterson argues that wokist movements represent a threat to free speech and draw inspiration from totalitarianism and fascism.
• Watch Toppling of Ryerson Statue (4 MNs):This brief news report recounts the recent story of the toppling of the Reyerson statue in Toronto. Activists and advocates for social justice are arguing in favor of historical revisionism, that the story of Canada needs to be reframed away from white men to tell the story of the suffering of first nations peoples.

Part II. Personal Reflection (15 MNs): Work your way through the reflection questions below. You are encouraged to click the links, but you do not need to turn your responses in. Instead, incorporate what you have learned into the question (Part III below)

• To what extent have you been exposed to non-Western history? In your secondary education how was the story of China, Africa, or Muslims told, or were their experiences neglected or distorted by invoking caricatures and stereotypes?
• How did your schooling cover Aboriginal History? Do you agree that the “making” of Canada represented a cultural genocide? How should this history be taught in primary and secondary schools?
• In your previous education how was Canada’s international role portrayed? Would most postcolonial states agree with the assessment of many Canadians that our country is a force for good in the world, that Canadians sacrificed to save the world from fascism and instability? How do you square the idea of Canadian generosity and foreign aid with global wealth inequality? Are Canadians promoting the economic and social development of poor countries or are our standards of living linked to an economy predicated on exploitation?
• Most University of Ottawa students are taking up educational debt so it is not surprising that many would feel vulnerable and poor. Objectively speaking, though, are you privileged? How are the material and social conditions framing Canadian life different from that of the global majority?
• Most Canadians are very concerned about climate change and are also active participants in a consumer society. Objectively speaking what is the ecological cost of your lifestyle? Is there a link between Canadian wealth and global poverty or ecological degradation?
• Historical revisionists have argued that Canadian history is biased and racist in glamorizing figures like Ryerson who were implicated in shameful policies that promoted cultural genocide. Conservative critics argue that radical leftists are rewriting history, canceling out the voices of people they disagree with, judging historical figures based on unfair contemporary moral standards, and advocating for a history that will make our children ashamed rather than proud of our ancestors. What is the role of history; to recount the past, make us proudly Canadian, reveal past injustices, or raise our moral consciousness?
• Take a hard look in the mirror, what do you think is the principal bias that you take to the study of global history?

Part III. By Sunday 11:59 PM, in 750-800 words, write an essay about historical revisionism. Should historians spotlight injustice and motivate sensitivity on the question of race, or is critical race theory a form of “wokism” that will pervert an objective interpretation of the past?

Necessary Tasks:

• You can argue for any position, but you must present a thesis that stakes a clear position on the question posed;
• You should explore the question by adopting a case study like Eurocentrism in world history, the teaching of aboriginal history in Canada, critical race theory, or the 1619 project;
• Your subordinate arguments must develop your thesis and invoke concrete examples; invoking evidence, concrete facts, and events from your sources.

Successful Essays:

• The best format for a mini-essay is to make your first sentence your thesis (the argument that answers the question and position you will defend);
• Your essay cannot cover everything, so one important task is to conceptualize a framework from a universe of possibilities that engages the question about euro-centrism in world history effectively within the proscribed word length.
• The difference between an argument and an opinion is that arguments present clear and concrete evidence. In other words, you must provide citations. In this case, you could invoke the textbooks, course modules, class polls, or a scholarly article from the library.
• Your essay must contain a simplified bibliography listing the sources you consulted.

Blog Rubric

Plus ++	Check +	Check =	Minus –	Zero (0)
Exceptional	Good	Adequate	Unsatisfactory	Absent
You developed an effective framework and your thesis effectively incorporated the metrics to reveal your unique prejudices and principal biases, while also offering a nuanced insight upon how wealth, nationalism and culture shape our view of the past.	Generally speaking, your framework proved effective and your thesis answered the question of bias effectively, you cited concrete examples, invoked the metrics and offered a coherent reflection on the subject.	Although the blog addressed the question of bias in a basic way, you were not completely effective in reconciling aspects of your unique biography to the problem of euro-centrism and bias, nor you revealed only a basic grasp of the topic and/or assigned sources and/or there were some omissions, errors or problems of style.	Thesis was too superficial; you did not satisfactorily incorporate assigned materials, nor effectively juxtapose your biography to the problem of interpretation, and/or your reflection was insufficiently coherent and lacked clarity, depth and nuance.	Student did not turn in assignment by by the deadline.
40/40	30/40	24/40	15/40	0 / 40