PhD student Francesca Morphakis features in History Today

Francesca considers E.H. Carr's question from 1961 - 'What Is History?' - and discusses the power and purpose of studying the subject.

What Is History? is a non-fiction book on historiography written by Edward Hallett Carr in 1961.

In History Today (Volume 70, Issue 8, August 2020) Francesca Morphakis, PhD Candidate in History at the University of Leeds, shares her thoughts.

History is narratives. From chaos comes order. We seek to understand the past by determining and ordering ‘facts’; and from these narratives we hope to explain the decisions and processes which shape our existence. Perhaps we might even distill patterns and lessons to guide – but never to determine – our responses to the challenges faced today. 

We seek to understand the past by determining and ordering ‘facts’; and from these narratives we hope to explain the decisions and processes which shape our existence.

Yet political history has fallen out of fashion and subsequently into disrepute, wrongly demonised as stale and irrelevant. 

History’s primary purpose is to stand at the centre of diverse, tolerant, intellectually rigorous debate about our existence: our political systems, leadership, society, economy and culture. However, open and free debate – as in so many areas of life – is too often lacking and it is not difficult to locate the cause of this intolerance. 

Read the full article in History Today.