ABSTRACT

Use and Abuse of History has become a key text of current historiography; this is a book that poses fundamental and disturbing questions about the use and abuse of history. Engaging and challenging, this book confronts the reader with the many 'histories' that exist and have existed around the world, from the Zulu kingdoms to Communist China.

This title has now been extensively revised by Marc Ferro, a well respected historian, and presents the different narratives that constitute the histories of countries as diverse as India, Iran, Trinidad and the United States makes for fascinating reading in their own right. What makes this book so valuable, though, is what these narratives tell us about the societies which create them – how much is history distorted in order to condition the minds of those who are taught it?

Use and Abuse of History appeals to anyone with a general interested in history.

chapter 1|20 pages

‘White History', a Vestige: Johannesburg

chapter 2|19 pages

‘Decolonized History': Black Africa

chapter 4|28 pages

India: History Without Identity

chapter 6|23 pages

The Persian and Turkish Variants

chapter 8|47 pages

Aspects and Variations of Soviet History

chapter 10|23 pages

History in Profile: Poland

chapter 11|17 pages

A Note on the History of China

chapter 12|20 pages

History in Japan: A Code or an Ideology?

chapter 13|28 pages

Deconstructing ‘White History': The USA

chapter |8 pages

Conclusion