The Realness of Things Past: Ancient Greece and Ontological History

The Realness of Things Past offers an alternative to conventional historical practice by challenging the way we historicize the experiences of non-modern peoples. It argues that our standard analytical devices impose modern, dualist metaphysical conditions upon non-modern realities, altering their contents. The book proposes a non-dualist historicism that allows readers to analyze each past reality on its own ontological terms, as a more or less autonomous world unto itself. It uses classical Athens as a primary case study and is written to be accessible to a non-specialist, cross-disciplinary readership.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 338 pages
Publication date: 03 August 2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

The Realness of Things Past presents a groundbreaking approach to historical practice that challenges the conventional methods of historicizing the experiences of non-modern peoples, both Western and non-Western. It advocates for an alternative perspective that seeks to understand these realities on their own terms, rather than imposing modern, dualist metaphysical conditions upon them. By doing so, the book reveals how our standard analytical tools authorize us to align these realities with our own modern ontological commitments, fundamentally altering their contents. This results in a practice that homogenizes the diverse ways of being human in the past.

To produce histories that are more ethically defensible, philosophically robust, and historically meaningful, we must adopt an ontological turn in our practice. The book aims to formulate a non-dualist historicism that enables readers to analyze each past reality on its own ontological terms, as a more or less autonomous world unto itself. To make the case for this alternative paradigm, the book engages with currents of thought in various intellectual disciplines, including anthropology, postcolonial studies, sociology of science, and quantum physics. Furthermore, it utilizes classical Athens as its primary case study to demonstrate how the new paradigm can be applied in practice.

The Realness of Things Past is divided into three parts. Part I critically examines our standard modern accounts of democratic Athens to highlight the limitations of conventional historicist analysis and the need for an alternative. Part II draws on a wide range of historical, ethnographic, and theoretical literatures to frame ethical and philosophical mandates for the proposed ontological turn. Part III then showcases the historical benefits of this alternative paradigm by illustrating how it allows us to perceive the past in new and profound ways.

In conclusion, The Realness of Things Past offers a transformative perspective on historical practice that challenges our conventional understanding of the past. By adopting an ontological turn, we can produce histories that are more ethically defensible, philosophically robust, and historically meaningful. The book provides a valuable roadmap for scholars and practitioners seeking to reimagine the way we approach the study of history.

Weight: 498g
Dimension: 156 x 234 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197576700