 Go to the wiki and the lesson notes for history and read ‘Japan textbook angers neighbours’.  In groups of 3 read the article ‘Ghosts of the Past’. One person look at the perspective of Japan, one Korea and one China and bring together your findings.  History is often described as ‘the contested past’. How might the articles above help to support this explanation?’

 What is the nature of truth in history? › Truth is based on historical fact › Truth can be based on multiple perspectives › Truth in history cannot claim to be absolute except in terms of historical facts › Truth in history is sensitive to paradigm shifts and interpretations

 Sense Perception and the role of facts › History uses the available facts selectively. Chosen to serve the intent, purpose or expectation of the historian. › Perception of the historian is directed by what he or she thinks happened, and what they think you should know. The biases and perception of the historian are part of the selection purpose.

 Can a fact exist outside of a context? › Brainstorm 3 historical facts and then discuss the question.  Do historical facts have any worth without a context?

 Emotion serves to transform historical fact into an interpretation by placing the fact within a framework of context. › Emotion offers the imaginative interpretation of historical fact and gives meaning to the contexts of historical facts. A historians realities are rooted within a time period and prevailing paradigms. These guide their interests and interpretations of the facts.

 (excerpted from Fitzhugh’s Sociology for the South, 1854)  Negroes are like children. They need to be guarded by parents.  Democracy is not for uneducated children and never has been.  The Negro is improvident (not prudent and unwise)  The Negro race is inferior. They must be protected from the competitive structure of American society.  Africa is worse. In Africa people are uncivilized, non-Christian savages.  The North is uncivilized (like Africa) and would crush the Negro through unfair competition.  Workers in England are treated worse than the Southern Negro.  Slavery is honorable. Women, children and apprentices are also slaves. Society depends on the sacrifices of these groups.  Negroes could not buy land. Without land they would perish.  Slavery is more benevolent than it once was. The lot of the Southern slave has much improved since the early years.

 Histories are written for many reasons, consider some of these: › Celebration › Condemnation › Causation › Regret/revision › Explanation / justification › Collective history ‘Each man can only write from his own cultural paradigm and from his interest. No man is a ‘tabula rasa’(blank slate)Collingwood

 Pieces of evidence can tell only a selected tale. The use of historical facts are made credible and coherent through reason. › It constructs historical facts into a framework of knowledge › It filters out the illogical › Places the structure of validity upon the historians selection of facts