Banking at the base of the pyramid

This page in:

Join the Conversation

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly
Remaining characters: 1000
Richard
I certainly agree that history and historians need to be taken more seriously - and not just in development. I am, however, likely to be very biased gievn that my original undergraduate degree was in History. I wonder if perhaps, however, the turn away from history in development is something intentional for two reasons - the first a turn away from the pre-1945 world order and everything that was wrong with that model and which are no longer palatable. And the second one post 1990, in order to bury any connection with the apparent failure of "historical materialism" associated with the collapse of the USSR, and thereby losing many effective and notworthy critiques of capitalism and development from the left. In terms of a further book to add to the list informing history and development, I would recommend "A History of Private Law in Europe" by Wieacker, which is one of the most excellent analyses of how private law in Europe developed over the last 1000 years, surveying the law, individuals and institutions throughout Europe and how they interacted, evolved and changed, particularly in the absence of strong, centralized states.

I certainly agree that history and historians need to be taken more seriously - and not just in development. I am, however, likely to be very biased gievn that my original undergraduate degree was in History. I wonder if perhaps, however, the turn away from history in development is something intentional for two reasons - the first a turn away from the pre-1945 world order and everything that was wrong...

Read more
I am in agreement with Richard and would like to add that seeking confirmation of world policies vis-a-vis ex-colonial countries with the aid of like-minded historians will not really help those policies to gain widespread legitimacy.

I am in agreement with Richard and would like to add that seeking confirmation of world policies vis-a-vis ex-colonial countries with the aid of like-minded historians will not really help those policies to gain widespread legitimacy.