Backbencher

In lecture 10, we looked a little more deeply at Manning Clark and Keith Sinclair, discussed why we study history, and asked who historians are supposed to serve. With both Clark and Sinclair, it appears that their respective backgrounds had a direct influence on how they constructed their histories. Manning Clark's emphasis on conflicts (class, political, and otherwise) fit with his interest and ties to more left-of-center, communist-like thought. Sinclair, though also a poet, is more of a traditional historian. His book is more linear and structured than Clark's, but it must be stressed that both men have something important in common: they both had an intense desire to create a history of their nation.

In examining Clark and Sinclair, fundamental questions come to the surface regarding what the motives of a historian are and what purpose their work should serve. As a prospective history teacher, my motives for studying history are for judgment (decision-making) and history for fun. As Dr. Isern said, when we make a decision, all we have to rely on is our past experiences. I agree with this assessment wholeheartedly. Whether we are deciding to buy a car or trying to determine the direction of our foreign policy, history is the main resource on which to rely. All things go back to history. In this way, I believe in sharing my knowledge of history with others, in order to serve them and society in general. Additionally, I think history can be interesting and fun to study. People, places, and events are intriguing.

In comparing historical study in the United States versus Australia and New Zealand, I do think there are some differences in the approach. Maybe the OZ and NZ tradition allows for more myth (stories that people tell) to shape their histories than the U.S. That being said, there are certainly myths that influence the study of U.S. history. More importantly, historians in OZ and NZ need to emphasize identity-creation in their accounts, whereas in the United States, our basic identity as a nation was established during revolutionary times, and simply evolved from there. Thereafter, our historians did not need to start from scratch and create a new identity for our nation.