--- title: On History (Book) slug: on-history-book url: /detay/on-history-book type: article language: English entity: primary: On History (Book) type: article disambiguation: Hobsbawm's insightful essays on history, historiography, and the historian's role. A must-read. categories: - name: History slug: tarih url: /kategori/tarih tags: - Hobsbawm - History - Historiography author: Mehmet Salih Çoban created_at: 2025-03-20T14:08:57.280080+03:00 updated_at: 2025-04-17T10:51:19.095065+03:00 --- # On History (Book) ## KURE Information Cards ![9781565843936-us.jpg](https://cdn.t3pedia.org/media/uploads/2025/03/20/0ahYWlzjBgRRlCWJLkrdWTos17r3sMH8.jpg) | Field | Value | |-------|-------| | Publisher(s) | New Pr | | Author(s) | Eric Hobsbawm | | Genre | History - Compilation | | First Edition | 1997 | ## Article Content Eric [Hobsbawm](/en/detay/eric-john-ernest-hobsbawm-26710/llms.txt)’s *On History* offers [an](/en/detay/an-2/llms.txt) in-depth examination of the nature of historical facts, historiographical methods, and the responsibilities of historians. The book is a collection of essays that question the academic and political significance of [history](/en/detay/universal-history-2/llms.txt) as a discipline. ### **Content and Structure of the Book** *On History* is a compilation of 22 essays drawn from Hobsbawm’s academic lectures, conference papers, and articles. The book primarily focuses on general [historiography](/en/detay/secondary-sources-in-historiography/llms.txt) and key aspects of historical writing. In *On History*, Eric Hobsbawm explores various issues related to historiography and the responsibilities of historians. In the chapter *Inside and Outside History*, he introduces the book by discussing how historians evaluate the relationship between history and contemporary society. In *The Sense of the Past*, he examines how societies perceive the past and its role in identity formation. *What Can History Tell Us About Contemporary Societies?* considers how history serves as a tool for understanding the [modern](/en/detay/modern-2/llms.txt) world. In *Looking Forward: History and the Future*, he discusses how the past shapes the future, while in *Has History Made Progress?*, he critiques the validity of the concept of progress in history. *From Social History to the History of Society* examines the evolution of [social history](/en/detay/cultural-history/llms.txt), while *Historians and Economists*, divided into two sections, delves into the relationship between history and economics. In the chapter *Partisanship*, Hobsbawm questions the ideological dimensions of historiography. *What Do Historians Owe to Karl Marx?* and *Marx and History* explore the foundations of [Marxist](/en/detay/marxist-anthropology-d6e94/llms.txt) historical thought and its influence on Hobsbawm’s own perspective. *Every People Has a History* emphasizes the need to approach history as a global discipline, while *The Revival of Narrative and Postmodernism* assesses narrative forms in historiography and the impact of [postmodernism](/en/detay/postmodern-history-a4f01/llms.txt) on the historical discipline. *The Strange History of Europe* and *The Present as History* discuss the uniqueness of European history and the meaning of history in the modern world. *Can We Rewrite the History of the Russian Revolution?* and *Barbarism: A User’s Guide* focus on the writing of revolutionary history and the crises of the modern age. Finally, in *The History of Identity is Not Enough* and *Introduction to the Communist Manifesto*, Hobsbawm critiques identity politics and provides an introduction to *The Communist Manifesto*. ### **Key Themes of the Book** In *On History*, Hobsbawm emphasizes the responsibilities of historians to society and examines how history is used in constructing national identities and ideologies. Below are the key themes explored in the book: - **The Political Use of History:** Hobsbawm demonstrates how history is frequently manipulated for nationalism, ethnic identities, and ideological struggles. He particularly analyzes how the past is used in the construction of national myths. - **Marxist Historiography:** He argues that historical materialism provides a powerful framework for analyzing events through economic and social dynamics. However, he also notes that Marxist historiography must adapt to changing conditions. - **Criticism of Postmodernism:** Hobsbawm critiques postmodernism for introducing excessive relativism into the historical discipline and stresses that historians must preserve fact-based reality. - **The Responsibility of Historians:** He asserts that historians should not only recount the past but also contribute to shaping the present and future. He particularly emphasizes the need to combat false historiography and anachronism. ## Academic Sources and References 1. “History”. Eric Hobsbawm Bibliography. Erişim tarihi: 20 Mart 2025. https://hobsbawm.shca.ed.ac.uk/bibl/on-history.​Hobsbawm, Eric. On History. New York: New Press, 1997.​Hobsbawm, Eric. Tarih Üzerine. Çev. Osman Akınhay. İstanbul: Agora Kitaplığı, 2009.​Hobsbawm, Eric. Tarih Üzerine. Çev. Osman Akınhay. İstanbul: Bilgi ve Sanat Vakfı Yayınları, 2001.