| Popis: |
This chapter determines whether counterfactual history has an ambiguous relationship to politics as it attempts to imagine possible worlds by positioning itself in relation to established facts. It stresses how counterfactual history may valorize contingency or determinism, mathematical probabilities, and literary creativity, which has served Marxists, radicals, liberals, and conservatives. This particular form of reflection on what has happened and what was possible possesses a fundamentally political dimension. The chapter talks about a counterfactual researcher who is forced to intervene explicitly in the narrative that must recognize the specificity of his or her point of view. He or she must begin by deconstructing the historical narrative, setting aside turning points, reformulating the question of causality, reinterrogating sources, and developing a strong awareness of the effects of the new narrative. |
