In the Past Lane: Historical Perspectives on American Culture
- ISBN-10
- 0195111117
- ISBN-13
- 9780195111118
- Category
- Memory
- Pages
- 277
- Language
- English
- Published
- 1997
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press, USA
- Author
- Michael G. Kammen
Description
Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his People of Paradox (1973), and the Francis Parkman Prize for A Machine That Would Go of Itself (1987), Michael Kammen is widely regarded as one of our most important, and most diversely talented, cultural historians. David Brion Davis has said of him that "no other historian of Michael's generation has such a broad and concrete grasp of 'American culture' in all its manifestations from constitutional law to formal painting and popular culture." Now, In The Past Lane brings together writings from a span of more than a decade, covering the broad spectrum of Kammen's recent interests, including the role of the historian, the relationship between culture and the State, uses of tradition in American commercial culture, American historical art, memory distortion in American history, and the contested uses of history in American education, and much more. Here are major contributions to Kammen's work and to American cultural history. In the previously unpublished "Personal Identity and the Historian's Vocation," Kammen considers the complex interplay between historians' personal lives--their religion, ideology, race, gender, sexual orientation--and the history they write. Drawing on prominent historians' own self-reflections, in fascinating letters and memoirs, Kammen takes us inside the process of doing history and traces the movement away from delusions of objectivity to a more engaged and personal approach to the past. We find a lively exchange between David M. Potter and Richard Hofstadter, a personal account of a highly dramatic public debate between Arnold J. Toynbee and Allan Nevins, as well as delightful quotes from many important historians about their work, their beliefs, and their colleagues. We have, for example, Lewis Mumford at Christmas time informing a friend that he was using "the season of peace and cheer and goodwill to begin a murderous attack upon Mr. Bernard DeVoto, and Allan Nevins wryly recommending his multi-volume Civil War history, The Ordeal of the Union, as an ideal wedding present. In "Culture and the State in America," Kammen gives us an illuminating history of government funding for the arts which provides a surprising perspective on the current crises involving the NEA and NEH. He marshals his deep historical knowledge to argue that an elimination of public support will lead to an even greater loss of private support for the arts and humanities, and that the results will impoverish us all. Kammen addresses a range of other concerns in these essays, including the distinction between heritage and history, how multicultural art exhibits are developed, memory distortion in American history. Whether he's warning against historical amnesia, analyzing the iconography of judgment in American courthouses, considering American diversity, or reconsidering the issue of American exceptionalism, Kammen's remarkable essays show us the many ways the past informs, eludes, and yet gives birth to the present.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 1998-12
- 277 pages
- Paperback
- Oxford University Press on Demand
Similar books
-
Life in the Past Lane: Route 66 in the California desert
By Matt C. BischoffThis is the first of two volumes presenting a detailed look at the history and surviving physical features of historic Route 66 in California. This volume focuses on the desert...
-
Life in the Past Lane: A History of Stock Car Racing in Northeast Wisconsin From 1950 - 1980
By Joe VerdeganIt was an era in which drivers often used junkyard parts to build their rides, and cars might trade hands over a card game.Author Joe Verdegan introduces you to the characters and behind-the-scenes stories that played out at tracks ...
-
Life in the Past Lane-Volume Two
By Jason Hill" -ANNETTE D'AGOSTINO LLOYD, author of Harold Lloyd: Magic in a Pair of Horn-rimmed Glasses "Jason has done his usual great job interviewing these celebrities. I highly recommend this book.
-
Life in the Past Lane
By Michael O'BrienWith a dry sense of humour and the odd tear in his eye, Michael O'Brien tells the tale of his family and the world they lived in.
-
Life in the Past Lane: The Next Generation
By Joe VerdeganAuthor Joe Verdegan has had a front-row seat to the stories, people, and politics that have captured the attention of northeast Wisconsin auto racing fans for decades.
-
Learning in the Fast Lane: The Past, Present, and Future of Advanced Placement
By Chester E. Finn, Andrew E. Scanlan, Jr.So maintaining a sturdy bridge— which AP must forever do if it's to fulfill its mission of bringing college- level academics into high school—is bound to get harder. MANUFACTURER OF CHOICE Although seldom viewed through this lens, ...
-
Life of the Past
By William Irl Ausich, N. Gary LaneThis comprehensive introduction to the history of life on Earth explores the basic principles and processes, the rich history of past life forms -- marine and terrestrial -- and...
-
Life in the Past Lane: Learning from the Past Living Well Now : Student Handbook
By Stephen RennLife in the Past Lane: Learning from the Past Living Well Now : Student Handbook
-
A Taste of the Past
By John LaneHere is a unique opportunity to visit the great figures of the past on often momentous occasions in history, as they flick open their napkins and reach for the menu at some of the grandest banquets ever conceived.
-
Life in the Past Lane - Volume One - a Look Into Media History Through the Eyes of Those Who...
By Jason HillLet me say a few words about who should really take credit for this book and the two volumes that will soon follow it.