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Michel-Rolph Trouillot
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Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History 2nd Revised Edition, Kindle Edition

by Michel-Rolph Trouillot (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 341 ratings
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The 20th anniversary edition of a pioneering classic that explores the contexts in which history is produced—now with a new foreword by renowned scholar Hazel Carby.
 
Now part of the HBO docuseries Exterminate All the Brutes, written and directed by Raoul Peck
 
Placing the West’s failure to acknowledge the Haitian Revolution—the most successful slave revolt in history—alongside denials of the Holocaust and the debate over the Alamo, Michel-Rolph Trouillot offers a stunning meditation on how power operates in the making and recording of history.

This modern classic resides at the intersection of history, anthropology, Caribbean, African-American, and post-colonial studies, and has become a staple in college classrooms around the country. In a new foreword, Hazel Carby explains the book’s enduring importance to these fields of study and introduces a new generation of readers to Trouillot’s brilliant analysis of power and history’s silences.
Previous page
  1. ISBN-13
    978-0807080535
  2. Edition
    2nd Revised
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Beacon Press
  5. Publication date
    March 17, 2015
  6. Language
    English
  7. File size
    1338 KB
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Trouillot, a widely respected scholar of Haitian history, has experienced firsthand how the recounting of historical "truth" can be manipulated to serve the interests of a particular group in power. Nevertheless, he rejects the facile proposition that history is no more than self-justifying propaganda written by the "winners" of conflict. Rather, he suggests that we can gain a broader and more accurate view of past events by striving to listen to a broader spectrum of voices. While recognizing that competing groups and individuals may lack equal access to modes of communication, he maintains that the variety of voices is there; we simply have to work harder to hear them. To illustrate this point, Trouillot examines the untold aspects of the Haitian independence struggle as well as the ongoing conflict over the "true" legacy of Columbus. Trouillot is a first-rate scholar with provocative ideas; general readers may find themselves somewhat lost in his discourses, but serious students of history should find his work a feast for the mind. Jay Freeman

Review

“A sparkling interrogation of the past. . . . A beautifully written, superior book.”
—Foreign Affairs
 
“Trouillot is a first-rate scholar with provocative ideas. . . . His work [is] a feast for the mind.”
—Jay Freeman, Booklist

“Now that so many grand projects of the past are up for reappraisal, Michel-Rolph Trouillot interrogates history, to ask how histories are, in fact, produced. . . . A beautifully written book, exciting in its challenges.”
—Eric. R. Wolf

“An accessible book filled with wisdom and humanity.”
—Bernard Mergen, American Studies International

“Aphoristic and witty, [Silencing the Past] shows that the two senses in which history is made, by doers and by tellers, meet in moments of evidentiary silence. . . . A hard-nosed look at the soft edges of public discourse about the past.”
—Arjun Appadurai

“Written with clarity, wit, and style throughout, this book is for everyone interested in historical culture.”
—American Historical Review

“[Trouillot was] a transformative presence in multiple fields [who] redefined the meaning of scholarship. . . . Trouillot taught us all how to read carefully, argue passionately, and write responsibly.”
—Colin Dayan, Boston Review

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00N6PB6DG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Beacon Press; 2nd Revised edition (March 17, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 17, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1338 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 217 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 341 ratings

About the author

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Michel-Rolph Trouillot

Michel-Rolph Trouillot
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Michel-Rolph Trouillot (1949–2012) was one of the most prominent Haitian scholars working in the United States. He was the director of the Institute for Global Studies in Culture, Power, and History and Krieger/Eisenhower Distinguished Professor in anthropology at Johns Hopkins University.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
341 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

T-man
5.0 out of 5 stars A very important read
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2022
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This book is very important and understanding much for what goes on today with the bending of history and accommodating facts to meet a certain purpose. The book is well organized, well documented and challenge of us to see the pass and act upon it in the present
4 people found this helpful
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Stephen Matlock
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellently written and an intriguing view of how history is created
Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2014
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This is an excellent book, for many reasons.

First, it's a book about the history of the Western Hemisphere (mostly), centering on Haiti and San Souci, and then upon Columbus.

Second, it's a book about how history is determined. It's not just a compendium of facts. History is developed and managed based upon certain facts and upon the suppression of other certain facts.

Third, it's a book about what history means, how facts are presented or suppressed, what the history of that history is.

Fourth, it is simply an excellently written book. The language is crisp and accurate, the thought advances at a smooth but swift state, and the author is present in every paragraph and word. There is no hesitancy or evasiveness.

I enjoyed this book. It's a history book, but I enjoyed it.
7 people found this helpful
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HAH
4.0 out of 5 stars Well done and fascinating
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2018
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Good book. A true academic book but relatable at points. You will probably need to re-read it to truly understand it, but a solid book nonetheless.
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Wild Rover
5.0 out of 5 stars Historiography reviewed
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2011
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this book is a great approach to understand how history is produced. The discussion of the construction of narratives and their historicity is pertinent, because in historiography it is an issue that is overpass. He points in something interesting: the historians in their work show how operate both sociohistorical processes and the narratives of those processes. But in theory of history and in historiography they only care about the narratives; they don't look at the process of social production of those narratives. More over, they only review the academic narrative; the other historic narratives are dismissed. This book is claim to those narratives that are not studied on theory of history. The only problem is that he doesn't explore those other narratives; he just mentioned that problem.
One person found this helpful
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Marisa Pickett
5.0 out of 5 stars Yep. It's good.
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2021
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A good read that tackles history, memory and a reckoning with colonialism and slavery. It introduces each topic and engages the reader with difficult questions. Almost 20 years later and it is still relevant.
6 people found this helpful
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Austen Morris
3.0 out of 5 stars In-Depth Look at Historical Production
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2001
Trouillot sets out to answer the question: How is history produced? And he does a reasonably good job in at least laying a framework for discussing such a complicated issue. He seeks a middle-ground between what he calls positivist historicity and constructivist historicity, arguing, in effect, that past events did indeed happen the way they happened but also that our memories, stories, myths about them greatly influence our understanding of them. Using as case studies the Haitian Revolution, Sans Souci (a Haitian slave turned colonel) and Columbus Day, he then attempts to show how certain aspects of events have been silenced by those in power. Trouillot succeeds in many ways; he explores issues with ample caution, gives a fine critical survey of the snags and hazy areas involved in the topic, and pins down a number of useful conceptual tools (such as the different stages in historical production at which facts might be silenced). Where he falls short, however, is ironically in his inadequate appreciation of the inherent selectivity of history - the reality that silences are necessary, inescapable, and even desirable. (By studying Beethoven's life we thereby, and properly, "silence" the life of some unexceptional contemporary). Trouillot's goal, beyond investigating the nature of historical production, is to demonstrate that those creating Western history have been biased and wrong in silencing the stories he's presently exposing. He backs up this claim with zero evidence; in spending so much time showing what has been silenced he never gets around to offering his view of what SHOULD be silenced. Thus, as purely an exploration into the process of historical production, "Silencing the Past" largely succeeds (although here too a better emphasis would be how and why facts are accepted rather than how and why facts are silenced - same theme, more fruitful orientation). The value judgments Trouillot occasionally slips into, however, are out of place and groundless. All aside, "Silencing the Past" is a challenging read and a quite thoughtful account of historical production.
37 people found this helpful
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vikki
5.0 out of 5 stars Revealing and obvious history.
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2021
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Time we tell the Truth about history and author does it well. Book reveals so much hypocrisy of the system. Enjoyed the read!
One person found this helpful
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B JE
5.0 out of 5 stars A great book, history and memory are very relevant today.
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2018
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A notable Haitian historian examines how countries decide to remember or forget in order to create a narrative of who they are and who belongs. Haiti, El Álamo, a failed Disney park in Virginia are good examples. Slavery and colonialism are passionately discussed. Highly recommended
17 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Mr. Lee D. Rolls
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read for anyone interested in history.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 1, 2023
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Well written and thought out. An in-depth discussion of how history is created and used. Asks the right questions and is balanced.
One person found this helpful
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Dorian
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on September 22, 2017
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Fantastic book
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PJ B'ham
4.0 out of 5 stars An Engaging Intellectual Work
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2022
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A technically challenging book written for academics or the well educated reader, the author dissects the production of written & popular history into its constituent elements.
Powerful truths are expressed.
One person found this helpful
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chris jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Fair-minded and Relevant.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 19, 2021
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Ignore politically motivated reviews, this is a well written and fair minded book on a subject of great contemporary importance with the rise of authoritarian governments across the globe and their associated 'culture wars'. The first chapter is somewhat abstract and could be seen as difficult although the gist is quite clear. The rest of the book is a much easier read containing some interesting history as well as many thought-provoking insights. Highly recommended.
5 people found this helpful
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R D RUDD
4.0 out of 5 stars The maze of division between “truth and fact.”
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 24, 2020
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We will never comprehend Written history. The fifth star comes from Reading the book and applying your Own thinking about where truth and fact might Be conjoined, If at all? The thrill of personal analysis! Is what reading this book is all about for me.
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