The Complexity of History: Pros and Cons of Presentism
Before reading The War Against the Past by Frank Furedi, my understanding of colonialism was a mix of personal experience and general knowledge.
On the one hand, I had an overwhelmingly positive experience of participating in historical reenactments with my family.
For about ten years, while our children grew up, our family was involved in the Stow Minutemen Fife & Drum Company. We attended weekly lessons at the local middle school—my daughter, younger son, and I played the fife, while our older son drummed and my husband played the bass drum.
Though it was a year-round commitment, spring was our busiest season with parades and battle reenactments, including overnight stays in colonial-style tents. We learned about the colonists’ daily lives, struggles, and aspirations, deepening our connection to the past. We became quite “nerdy” about colonial American history, often knowing more than your average high school textbook.
Stow Minutemen Fife & Drum Company
My time with the Stow Minutemen instilled in me a profound appreciation for the courage and sacrifices of early Americans fighting for independence, shaping my view of their struggle for freedom and self-governance.
On the other hand, I was also aware of the darker side of colonialism. Even as a teenager, I understood that British and Dutch colonialism had left a legacy of racism and inequality around the world.
This understanding became much more personal when I visited South Africa a couple of years ago. Witnessing firsthand the ongoing effects of apartheid, the deep-seated racial tensions, the rolling blackouts, and the pervasive corruption brought the abstract concept of colonialism into sharp focus. Hearing stories from both Black South Africans and white Afrikaners about their experiences and perspectives solidified my belief that the past continues to shape the present in profound ways.
So, while my reenactment experiences gave me a sense of the positive aspirations of the American colonists—and I recognize that this is a bit of “playing at” colonialism—my experience in South Africa made it impossible to ignore the negative consequences of colonialism for many others. I held these two somewhat conflicting ideas in tension, recognizing the complexity of the issue.
Affirmations and Challenges from The War Against the Past
Furedi’s book simultaneously affirmed and challenged my pre-existing beliefs in interesting ways. I was particularly struck by his discussion of presentism, a concept I had already grasped in a general sense but hadn’t fully articulated.
I thought I knew what it meant, as in my observations in South Africa, where the present-day realities are so clearly a direct consequence of historical events. The lingering effects of apartheid, the economic disparities, and the social divisions all demonstrate the impact of the past on the present.
But then I read Furedi’s definition of presentism as “an anachronistic orientation towards the different stages of history to the point that it treats individuals who lived thousands of years ago as if they are our contemporaries.” [1] He further explains that “Anachronistic thinking loses sight of temporal distinctions and sees in the past a reflection of itself.” [2] In other words, presentism is looking at the past from the point of view of someone who is living in today’s world.
This goes against “one of the central principles of modern historiography, which is the commitment to interpreting events in history on their terms rather than through the prism of present-day moral and cultural norms.” [3]
Harvard faculty writing scholar, Jeffrey R. Wilson, explains the difference between presentism and historicism (a purely historical—and factual, as much as possible—approach to studying social and cultural practices, ideas, and beliefs):
The real tension is between a historicism trying to be pure research and a presentism aiming for applied research. The historicist wants to understand the world, the presentist to change it. There are different goals: the historicist wants knowledge, the presentist justice. The historicist wants to be a scientist, the presentist a politician. [4]
Furedi helped me see that presentism has caused deep changes in our culture. One clear result is the culture of identity politics, which is pervasive in all areas of our lives.
I recognize now that this definition of presentism was illustrated in my life a few years ago. In my previous church, we planned to celebrate the spiritual legacy of George Whitefield, the influential evangelist of the First Great Awakening (and who is buried in the crypt below the pulpit of that church). This was in 2020, during the time of the George Floyd riots.
When it came to light that Whitefield had run his orphanage in Georgia with enslaved persons, we realized that we had overlooked this crucial aspect of his history. The changing social climate forced us to confront the complexities of the past and shift our event from a simple celebration to a more nuanced commemoration, which we titled “The Great Awakening Meets a Just Awakening.”
This experience reminded me that history is not a simple narrative of good versus evil and that even revered figures can have deeply problematic aspects of their pasts.
The Body Really Does Keep the Score
I have also done some studying about the impact of trauma on the body. The book The Body Keeps the Score [5] describes the neuroscience of human connection and how that is disrupted and manifested in the body as a result of trauma.
As part of my participation in the Whitefield commemoration, I studied the book, My Grandmother’s Hands in a racially mixed group. We learned more about Van Der Kolk’s premise when we were introduced to the term “white-body supremacy.” It is,
…in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the culture we share. We literally cannot avoid it. It is part of the operating system and organizing structure of American culture. It’s always functioning in the background, often invisibly, in our institutions, our relationships, and our interactions.” [6]
Resmaa Menakem goes on to explain that no matter who we are,
Our bodies have a form of knowledge that is different from our cognitive brains. This knowledge is typically experienced as a felt sense of constriction or expansion, pain or ease, energy or numbness. Often this knowledge is stored in our bodies as wordless stories about what is safe and what is dangerous. The body is where we fear, hope, and react; where we constrict and release; and where we reflexively fight, flee, or freeze. If we are to upend the status quo of white-body supremacy, we must begin with our bodies. [7]
In addition, white-body supremacy is passed on from generation to generation (epigenetics), and in that sense, all races have experienced deep trauma. The Middle Ages were not exactly a fun day at the beach for most Europeans.
So I have a great appreciation for the trauma caused by racism—and colonialism—over the centuries.
Unfortunately, while reading Furedi’s arguments against presentism, his tone was such that I could imagine him shaking his fist while spittle is flying out of his mouth as he reads the book to anyone who will listen. Let’s just say I didn’t think he had a nuanced appreciation for the experiences of different types of people.
The Complexity of the Past (Good and Bad)
That being said, The War Against the Past challenged my beliefs by revealing the extent and impact of presentism. While I understood that presentism existed, I didn’t fully realize how pervasive and influential it has become in shaping contemporary conversation, particularly around issues of identity politics.
Furedi argues that presentism, by judging the past solely through the lens of present-day values, ultimately undermines our ability to learn from it. He suggests that
…should the negative and destructive narrative of the past consolidate its growing authority, it will succeed in undermining people’s confidence in themselves, their communities, and their capacity to confront the challenges posed in the future. Once the past is cast in an entirely negative light, there is little possibility of cultivating a sense of hope for the future… A pathologized history calls into question the capacity of humanity to change for the better and improve its circumstances. [8]
This was a powerful challenge to my thinking. I had focused primarily on the moral imperative of acknowledging past injustices, but Furedi’s analysis made me realize that an overly presentist approach could have unintended negative consequences, hindering our ability to move forward and create a better future.
The George Whitefield example perfectly illustrates the complexity of the past. He was a pivotal figure in the First Great Awakening, yet he was also an enslaver. This isn’t a contradiction; it’s a reflection of the historical context. Similarly, the US Founding Fathers, while advocating for liberty, also compromised on slavery.
Understanding their choices, however difficult, is crucial. We can’t erase the past, but we can learn from it. As Christians, we recognize the inherent capacity for both good and bad within humanity, individually and collectively. This applies to historical figures and societies as well.
Learning from the Past (and Present)
Furedi is right: we must learn from the past and not engage in presentism by imposing our current cultural experiences on those who lived long ago.
Yet, our current political climate often feels like a rejection of historical understanding and compromise. The Founding Fathers, despite their flaws, understood the necessity of compromise. We seem to have lost that ability, which is detrimental to our future.
This reading has made me think about the lost opportunities to teach young people about both the good and the bad decisions of the past, so we can equip them with the critical thinking skills to evaluate present-day situations with the same nuance.
That nuanced understanding of the past acknowledges both triumphs and failures. We must listen to and empathize with those whose experiences differ from our own. We must learn from history, not just judge it. And we must rediscover the art of compromise to create a culture of hope for our future. This is the challenge ahead of us.
1 – Frank Furedi, The War Against the Past; Why the West Must Fight for Its History (Cambridge, UK: Polity Press, 2024), 17-18.
2 – Furedi, 89.
3 – Furedi, 111-112.
4 – Jeffrey R. Wilson, “Historicizing Presentism: Toward the Creation of a Journal of the Public Humanities” Public Humanities, Spring 2019, Part II, https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/jeffreywilson/files/jeffrey_r._wilson_22historicizing_presentism_-_toward_the_creation_of_a_journal_of_the_public_humanities22_2019.pdf.
5 – Bessel Van Der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score; Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma (New York: Penguin Books, 2014).
6 – Resmaa Menakem, My Grandmother’s Hands; Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies (Las Vegas: Central Recovery Press, 2017), xix.
7 – Menakem, 5.
8 – Furedi, 16.
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