History, or the Past in the Present

For the modern person it is natural to think historically, to look for their place at the “axis of time” and to distinguish today‘s day from the past and from the future. However it had not always been so and the world’s “history” has preserved its uncertainty up to this day. What did it mean before and what does it mean now? Does it only stand for the past or for all of humankind’s existence? Does it stand for the actions of people in the past or for our knowledge about them? What is history – is it science, literature, a form of social consciousness, or, maybe, only a method? Are there “laws of history”? Modern society is trying to turn history into one of the arguments in the struggle for identity, or into a resource which can bring profit – for example, from tourism, as tourism also means visiting historical places and the sights of a country. What forces are joined in the struggle for history? What happens when history intersects with politics? All of this is discussed in the book written by a professor at the European University at St. Petersburg, Ivan Kurilla. The book is aimed at everyone who is interested in politics, history and social sciences.

St Petersburg: European University at St. Petersburg Press, 2017