BOOK REVIEW OF "THE HISTORIAN
AND HIS FACTS"CHAPTER FROM WHAT
IS HISTORY? BY E.H.CARR
AN ANALYSIS THROUGH THE HISTORIAN'S LENS
SUBMITTED BY:HARSHA BINU
CARR,E.H. What is History?
England,Published by the Penguin
Group,1961,2nd Edition Pa es:7-31 ·'\'
My first answer therefore ·to the questioi, 'Mat 4 . ~ ~ 1\
a continuous process of interaction ·betwe,en the. · ' · ~ ~"
unending dialogue between ihe present d.M, the pastrr'
. .
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
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THE DIPLOMAT- TURNED HISTORIAN
What happens when a diplomat decides to turn his
analytical mind toward history?Yeah! it's E.H Carr,a man
whose insights shaped our understanding of a historian and
the very nature of History itself. Today let's delve deep into
the life and legacy of this remarkable thinker!
REVIEW OF THE ''HISTORIAN AND HIS
FACTS''
• Who is a Historian?According to E.H Carr Historians are part of the
present,not the past,and their role is to understand the past as a key to
understanding the present.In this chapter Carr challenges the traditional
view of historical facts as objective and independent from the historian.He
argues that history is not just a collection of facts,but rather an
interpretation of those facts .Carr emphasizes that facts do not speak for
themselves,they are selected and interpreted by historians based on their
own perspectives,biases,and the context in which they are writing.
KEY POINTS FROM THE CHAPTER
• 1. The role of a Historian: Carr argues that historians play a crucial role in
determining which facts are significant and helpful.He points out that
historical facts are not objective truths but are constructed by historians.
• 2.Facts v/s Interpretation: Carr differentiates between facts and the
historian's interpretation of those facts.He asserts that every piece of
history is a combination of both.The historian's interpretation is shaped by
their own social,cultural and political context.
• 3.The Historical Knowledge: Carr introduces the idea that historical
available evidence.
CONCLUSION
• In the chapter "Historian and his Facts" Carr challenges the notion of
history as a mere collection of objective facts.He argues that the relation
between the historian and his facts is one of equality,of give-and-take. So
his answer to the question "What is History" is that it is a continuous
process of interaction between the historian and his facts,an unending
dialogue between the present and the past
a
. . . .
