AHIS 22A10 - Narratives and Representations of the Past

Historians are full participants in the process of representing, writing and appropriating the past. Their approach is based on a quest for truth and objectivity, and on precise procedures as well as rules on providing evidence. This endeavor coexists with the multiple social and political interpretations of the past, which have proliferated over the last forty years (referred to as the so-called “memory boom”). Due to memorial claims, demands for reparations, ideological constructions and the “invention of tradition”, numerous and contradictory discourses have flourished and taken on various forms (literature, cinema, visual arts, commemorations, collections, etc.). As a shared object, the past is at the heart of political and social conflicts, notably through the extension of “competitive victimhood(s)”. The very goal of this course is thus to understand the background, logic and forms of these various uses of the past, and to define the specificity of historical knowledge, its requirements and objectives, as well as its possible role in the current contexts of political nationalism, ideological negationism, religious fundamentalism and massive assaults against democracy.

Giovanni CADIOLI,Alisa SHABLOVSKAIA

Cours magistral et conférences

English

Autumn 2021-2022

For the CLASS: 1°) Final exam For the SEMINARS 1°) Oral presentation 2°) Group project

At the end of the course, the student is expected to : 1°) Develop a critical approach towards the interpretation and narration of the past 2°) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of major historiographical debates 3°) Independently evaluate the credibility and validity of historical arguments, as well as the usage of facts and information In order to improve the students' learning experience, students will attend a two-hour seminar (in addition to lectures). These seminars will allow students to re-examine the themes of the lectures through the close study and discussion of key documents (texts, art, photographs, videos, etc.) Additionally they will provide pedagogical support in helping students prepare their group project (3 – 5 students), which will be devoted to a specific case on narrating the past. In this framework, students are actively encouraged to present their project in a variety of creative ways (notebooks, videos, interviews posted on a dedicated blog, etc.)