The Usefulness of History. VIIIth International Conference of Theory and Philosophy of History
Keynotes : Christophe Bouton (Université Bordeaux-Montaigne, France) ; Jaume Aurell (Universidad de Navarra, Spain)
The aim of the VIIIth International Conference of Theory and Philosophy of History is to think and discuss about the problem of the usefulness of history. What is the use of history? For whom is history useful? Should the usefulness of its knowledge be considered among the goals of the historical discipline for present? Should the historian consider in his analysis the uses that can be done of his knowledge in the present? Does the knowledge of the past provide something to the knowledge of the present? Or rather, is it necessary for the historian to put aside every useful and pragmatic consideration of his task when researching? Can history, being a complex recreation of the past, have a therapeutic character in the relationship between that past and the present? What are the limits of the usefulness of history? What are the limits among usefulness, utilization and manipulation of history? These are some of the questions that will be at the heart of this Conference, and therefore, will stimulate the interdisciplinary discussion among history, philosophy and other humanistic disciplines.
The Conference will also host the first meeting of the Latin American Network "Historia Pensada", founded in the 2nd INTH Network Conference in Ouro Preto.