Course: Speech Communication (open topic) May 2010

1. M.Farzan Sheikh

2.  "And if all others accepted the lie which the Party
imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the
lie passed into history and became truth.”
- George Orwell, 1984.
• History is supposed to be a truthful account of the
past, for the later generations to learn from.
George Orwell, 1984, Book 1, Chapter 3.

3.  Historical Research.
 Data Analysis: “Studying the organized material in order
to discover inherent facts.”
 External Criticism: “It is process of determining whether
the claimed origin of historical documents (author, place)
corresponds to it actual origin.”
 Internal Criticism: “Even if witnesses are competent and
truthful, they probably still will give different versions of
events that took place. One only needs to read accounts of
an event in different newspapers to discover how widely
witness’s perception can vary.” (Joyce 2003)
Data Analysis in Historical Research, S.Zubair Haider.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/13599534/Data-Analysis-in-
Historical-Research

4.  Countless history books
 Yet new ones on same subject
 Historian finds it convenient to use sources which go
along with his personal prejudices.
 For example, due to the large number of sources
available on the Nanking massacres, many modern
Chinese historians, tend to only select sources which
claim that the massacres took place.

5.  India and Pakistan.
 Almost entire history in the two countries, is the
opposite of the other.
 The hero of one, is the villain of the other.
 Both report different and contradicting information to
its public.
 Claim victories in wars.
 Manipulate facts to direct public opinion.
Books of S.M.Burke, T.N.Kaul

6.  History books, a source of contention between China
and Japan.
 "There is a tendency toward this in any country, but the
Chinese textbooks are extreme in the way they uniformly
convey the 'our country is correct' perspective,"
 Japan apologised for its wartime past more than 20 times
since 1972, insist it is Beijing's turn to apologise for
damage done to diplomatic missions.
 Katyn, between Germany and Russia.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Japan-accuses-China-of-teaching-biased-
history/2005/04/25/1114281505956.html

7.  To create unified and distinctive nations and impart a
sense of common destiny to their members, nation-
builders unearth means to exploit the ethnosymbolic
resources at their disposal (e.g. customs, heroes, myths,
state iconography). Annette Bohr, The Central Asian States
as Nationalizing Regimes
 Five years after the collapse of USSR, independent
Uzbekistan celebrated the 660th birthday of Tamerlane.
 Uzbek History textbooks, newspaper articles, and speeches
by the President of Uzbekistan have started depicting
Tamerlane as a wise leader, creator of a centralized state,
and as an enlightened ruler and protector of the arts and
sciences.

8.  According to Shirin Akiner, today many Uzbeks regard him
[Tamerlane] as the spiritual founder of their nation.
 The change in attitude was drastic and radical: being once
characterized as a brutal nomad, Tamerlane is now praised
and idealized.
 In 1995 the Kyrgyz people celebrated the 1000th Anniversary
of the epic Manas and in 2003 the 2200th Anniv
 Reason being his consolidation of the dispersed Kyrgyz
tribes and their subsequent united opposition to foreign
conquerors of Kyrgyz Statehood.

9.  Russia, May 2009, a presidential commission
established.
 “For counteracting attempts to falsify history to the
detriment of Russia’s interests.”
 Experts fear aim is to increase the authorities’ power
and control.
 Imposing its own “correct” interpretation of Russia’s
complex and tragic past,
 Kremlin is violating Articles 13 and 29 of the
Constitution, which guarantee protection against
political persecution.
http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?story_id=29141&
action_id=2

10.  Nicholas Sarkozy takes the task of rewriting history
himself.
 French newspaper: “To produce a new national dream
that creates a fog of confusion over all analyses and all
convictions, and to deflect attention from his veritable
program”
 Selecting heroes and their quotes from past, to argue
his viewpoint.
http://www.humaniteinenglish.com/article569.ht
ml

11.  State controlled media.
 Feeding lies.
 Closed societies.
 Repression, political, information.
 Communist countries.
 North Korea’s football match.
“Who controls the past controls the future: who controls
the present controls the past.'“ –George Orwell.

12.  "The character of individual and collective consciousness
and the range of their behavioral possibilities are very
significantly influenced by the quality of their recordings
and recollections of their historical experiences. To
manipulate history is to manipulate consciousness; to
manipulate consciousness is to manipulate possibilities; to
manipulate possibilities is to manipulate power."
-Dr. Amos Wilson
http://www.africaspeaks.com/reasoning/index.php?topic=676.0;wap2