Making history
Worth buying if: You read Marxist theory or works by E.P. Thompson and want a concise historiographical critique.
Skip it if: You expect a neutral, textbook-style survey of historical methods without political argument.
Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9781608460205. The Amazon link uses this ISBN, so the product page should open to the edition shown here.
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Summary
In Making History (Haymarket Books, 2009) Callinicos argues that history is not neutral: class struggle, Marxist theory, and political choice determine which events matter and how they're told. The book blends intellectual history with polemic to challenge conventional historical narratives.
Why this book now
As debates over curriculum, public memory, and political history intensify, Callinicos's analysis of ideology and historiography offers a pointed resource for readers revisiting ho.
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Best for readers who...
Good fit if you want...
- You read Marxist theory or works by E.P. Thompson and want a concise historiographical critique.
- You're interested in Haymarket Books' political nonfiction and punk-smithing of academic debates.
- You expect a neutral, textbook-style survey of historical methods without political argument.
- You want a narrative-driven popular history rather than polemic and theoretical engagement.
Decided it fits?
Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9781608460205
Worth buying if: You read Marxist theory or works by E.P. Thompson and want a concise historiographical critique.
Skip it if: You expect a neutral, textbook-style survey of historical methods without political argument.
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.
Reader guide
Cues to help you decide faster.
Reading commitment
Steady Needs some room
At a relatively short length for a polemical essay collection, expect focused chapters that can be read in single sittings; suitable for a few dedicated evenings rather than a long-term project.
What stands out here
This Haymarket Books 2009 edition foregrounds Callinicos's Marxist lens and his interventions on historiography rather than archival discoveries or narrative biography.
Best way to approach it
Approach Making History as a critical, argument-driven read: pause at theoretical sections, keep notes on key claims about class, ideology, and historiography for later discussion.
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Exact edition: ISBN-13 9781608460205
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.