Download or read book Hermeneutics, History and Memory written by Philip Gardner and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2010-01-21 with total page 479 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: History is the true record of an absent past. The trust between historians and their readers has always been founded upon this traditional claim. In a postmodern world, that claim and that trust have both been challenged as never before, drawing either angry or apologetic responses from historians. Hermeneutics, History and Memory answers differently. It sees the sceptical challenge as an opportunity for reflection on history’s key processes and practices, and draws upon methodological resources that are truly history’s own, but from which it has become estranged. In seeking to restore these resources, to return history to its roots, this book presents a novel contribution to topical academic debate, focusing principally upon: the challenges and detours of historical methodology hermeneutic interpretation in history the work of Paul Ricoeur the relation between history and memory. Hermeneutics, History and Memory will appeal to experienced historical researchers who seek to explore the theoretical and methodological foundations of their empirical investigations. It will also be highly beneficial to research students in history and the social sciences concerned with understanding the principles and practices through which documentary analysis and in-depth interview can be both validated and conducted.