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Chapter 8
The Postmodern Method:
History

Discussion Guide

• Dixon says, "The facts of history are becoming more flexible and can be bent to accommodate almost any argument." Have you seen any examples of this? How about Oliver Stone's movies, JFK and Nixon?
• Dixon thinks the historical events in the Bible are the lynch-pin of Christianity? Is this overstated, in your opinion?
• Marxism sees socioeconomic classes, such as the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat in a desperate class struggle that shapes and explains history. What, if any, connection do you see between Marxist thought and postmodernism?
• Black Studies, Women's Studies, Gay and Lesbian studies, Hispanic Studies, etc. form a large part of any contemporary university bulletin. How do you feel about these course offerings? Is there anything wrong with offering such courses?
• Do you believe women have been oppressed more than others in history?
• Dixon says, "Postmodern scholars point out that each person has her own world-view, her own beliefs and convictions. Therefore, which lines we draw between the facts of history and the resulting picture we develop is ultimately dependent on individual judgment." How would you answer this claim? How does Dixon answer it?
• Are some events or "facts" of history more important than others? If so, what makes something important? Would we consider some things important in the west that are considered unimportant in other cultures? If so, what implications would you see in such an observation?

Facilitator's Manual for History

• Dixon says, "The facts of history are becoming more flexible and can be bent to accommodate almost any argument." Have you seen any examples of this? How about Oliver Stone's movies, JFK and Nixon?

- Both JFK and Nixon have been heavily criticized for altering the facts of history. Oliver Stone replies that "history is open."

- Lewis Farrakahn claimed that Napoleon blasted the nose off the Sphinx in Egypt "because it reminded him of the majesty of the black man."

• Dixon thinks the historical events in the Bible are the lynch-pin of Christianity? Is this overstated, in your opinion?

- How many times does God call himself "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" or "the God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage?"

- Read the first half of I Corinthians 15. How much importance does Paul attach to historical fact?

• Marxism sees socioeconomic classes, such as the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat in a desperate class struggle that shapes and explains history. What, if any, connection do you see between Marxist thought and postmodernism?

- Postmodernism sees a similar struggle going on between sexes, races, cultures and those with different sexual preferences.

- As with Marxism, oppression of the weak by the strong is the key to understanding history

• Black Studies, Women's Studies, Gay and Lesbian studies, Hispanic Studies, etc. form a large part of any contemporary university bulletin. How do you feel about these course offerings? Is there anything wrong with offering such courses?
• Do you believe women have been oppressed more than others in history?

- A fair study of history demonstrates that they have been more oppressed by a wide margin over men.

- Examples include
foot-binding in China
clitorectomies in Islamic countries
beatings "balks" and dunking in Europe for women who sassed a man
the "rule of thumb" which refers to the rule in colonial America that restricted men to beat their wives with canes no thicker than their thumb.

• Dixon says, "Postmodern scholars point out that each person has her own world-view, her own beliefs and convictions. Therefore, which lines we draw between the facts of history and the resulting picture we develop is ultimately dependent on individual judgment." How would you answer this claim? How does Dixon answer it?

- Dixon explains, "At the very least, postmodernists are different from earlier historians in how they view subjectivity in historical interpretation. In earlier times, personal bias was known, but resisted, as antithetical to good historical research. Now, postmodern cultural historians consider bias unavoidable in whole or even in part."

• Are some events or "facts" of history more important than others? If so, what makes something important?

- Frequency of mention by contemporaries or a clear cause and effect link between an event and major changes that affect many people. For instance, Alexander the Great's campaign into the middle East brought down the Persian empire.

- Events or discoveries that are still considered important or influential long afterward to many people can be assumed to be important.

• Would we consider some things important in the west that are considered unimportant in other cultures? If so, what implications would you see in such an observation?

- Events could be globally important (like the discovery of flight) or locally important (like the founding of the Massachusetts bay colony). Because some things are of local or regional importance should not be taken to imply that the concept of "importance" is meaningless.

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