Paul Finkelman wrote:
> You are right here; why people want to believe this nonsense is
> fabulously interesting; that people do believe it, and resist all
> evidence to contrary, is deeply tragic.
>
>   
There is a very good book that sheds much light on this apparent puzzle 
("why people believe the darndest things..."). It is David Lowenthal's 
Possessed by the Past: The Heritage Crusade and the Spoils of History. 
In the book, Lowenthal explores the huge differences (and the overlap) 
between history and heritage. The latter is an amalgam myth, legend, 
wishful thinking, sheer invention, and scraps of actual history that is 
fabricated to shore up collective or group identity. A heritage can be 
shared by an entire country or by any sort of smaller group for which 
solidarity and self-esteem matter. As Lowenthal notes, "Heritage thrives 
on persisting error. 'Getting its history wrong is crucial for the 
creation of a nation,'" according to French nationalist Ernst Renan.

I recommend the book to all. There is also a good article by Lowenthal 
available online. It appears in the periodical History and Memory and is 
entitled "Fabricating Heritage."  The "quilt code" fits the heritage 
mold to a "t."

Doug Deal

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