[HN Gopher] What use is prehistory to the historian?
___________________________________________________________________
What use is prehistory to the historian?
Author : diodorus
Score : 12 points
Date : 2024-06-01 06:19 UTC (1 days ago)
(HTM) web link (www.historytoday.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.historytoday.com)
| AmericanChopper wrote:
| > The notion of 'prehistory' simply does not work for cultures
| that rely primarily on oral communication. It was this division
| based on writing that gave rise to the widespread notion in the
| West that much of Africa didn't have a history.
|
| A rather asinine take. A culture without writing doesn't produce
| a written record of its history. It would still produce an
| archeological record, but archeology alone doesn't describe a
| history in very much detail.
| throwaway2562 wrote:
| Indeed, a dimwitted article. The author seems keen to uncover
| 'racist tropes' and so on: 'Challenging the notion of history'
| appears to be the preferred route.
| drewcoo wrote:
| > A culture without writing doesn't produce a written record of
| its history
|
| But it can transmit an oral record, which seems to be the
| author's point. Paper, skins, and stone are not the only
| mediums for language.
| jbandela1 wrote:
| > The distinction between history and prehistory has been
| dissolving for some time
|
| The difference between history and prehistory is like having the
| source code with comments (history) versus the compiled binary
| (prehistory). Now the comments may be wrong or misleading but
| they are valuable to help understand the why.
|
| And written records compared with oral traditions is the
| difference between having a git history versus just a source
| file. Having snapshots back in time is valuable to see how things
| evolved.
| catlifeonmars wrote:
| I'd add to this analogy: it's a compiled binary with many
| chunks missing.
| drewcoo wrote:
| For software, prehistory would be design discussions before any
| code was written or there was anything in the ticketing system.
| woodpanel wrote:
| > _there is the unpleasant whiff of colonialism here [...]
| reinforced racist tropes [...] widespread notion in the West that
| much of Africa didn't have a history_
|
| It is indeed unpleasant - that people resort to this cheap
| rhetorical kick in the teeth of using white-shaming as an
| argument itself.
|
| Especially when the author touches on an important topic. Because
| doing it this way - by slipping in intent - contorts cause and
| effect.
|
| Yes, the dichotomy of history and prehistory is an underrated
| one. Yes, it deduces prehistoric cultures as dull. But this
| includes the pre-history of the alledged racists!
|
| The matter at play here is not the interlined plot to plunder and
| subjugate the world, but our inability to recognize that the
| written word is just a small appendix to our every-day culture,
| till this day.
|
| Even today we barely notice how much of our behaviours and
| rituals can be shaped in complete abscense of any written and
| oral communication. Nobody tells the Copenhagen cyclist to cycle
| much more considerate (with regards to other cyclists, drivers
| and pedestrians) than a Berlin cyclist. But they still do.
|
| When judging cultures, it's the insignificance of the written
| word that us writers fail to see. And thus today's richness is
| just as hidden as the richness of the past.
___________________________________________________________________
(page generated 2024-06-02 23:01 UTC)