Re: History

Richard Spear (rspear@PRIMENET.COM)
Mon, 28 Aug 1995 18:13:44 -0800

On 28 Aug 95 at 8:26, Nick Corduan wrote:

> "Shouldn't a people's history be in the hands of that people?" RJ (I believe)
> asked, though not in those specific words.

I am the source and the original sentence read:

"Should not a People's history and culture be in their own hands?"

> The answer, IMHO, is no. History is not "had." History is not in
> *anybody's* hands -- or at least it shouldn't be. History is absolute -- it
> is not subjective or relative. What happened happened, period. History
> should not be in the hands of the victors *or* the losers. History is
> history is history. Facts are facts. Truth is truth.

Facts are not facts .... truth is not truth. Facts and truth change
frequently - even in sciences considerably "harder" than
anthro/archeo. There are no absolutes, Nick.

>This is not to say that some peole do not, nor that some groups are not more
> likely to, distort the facts and truths of history. They do and they are.
>
> I simply have a gut-level problem with people discussing history as belonging
> to anyone.

Well, I never said that history belonged to anyone ... only that the
people involved have a right to create it if they wish, and at the
very least participate in creating it if so desired.

Richard