Herbert Illig - Wer hat an der Uhr gedreht? Wie 300 Jahre Mittelalter erfunden wurden
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52282/icr.v1i4.718Abstract
Within historiography, ‘historical revisionism’ is the reinterpretation of orthodox views on evidence, motivations, and decision-making processes surrounding a historical event. Revisionists, such as the author of the book here under review, assume the interpretation of a historical event or period, as accepted by the majority of scholars, needs significant change. ‘Historical revisionism’ is certainly a legitimate approach within historiography once it is based on generally accepted facts.
However, there is also a danger when ‘revisionism’ results in the distortion of history, which - if it constitutes the denial of historical crimes - is sometimes also called ‘negationism’. In ‘revising’ the past, this kind of illegitimate historical revisionism appeals to the intellect - via techniques illegitimate to historical discourse - to advance a given interpretive historical view.