Pseudohistory is a form of pseudoscholarship that attempts to distort or misrepresent the historical record. This practice often employs methods resembling those used in scholarly historical research, but with a fundamental difference in intent. Pseudohistory is almost always motivated by a contemporary political, religious, or personal agenda, rather than a genuine quest for historical truth.
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What is Pseudohistory?
Pseudohistory is a type of pseudoscholarship that deliberately misrepresents or fabricates historical information to support a particular ideological, political, or personal agenda. Rather than objectively studying the past, pseudohistorians selectively use, distort, or ignore evidence to promote their own revisionist narratives.Pseudohistory often shares characteristics with pseudoscience, including the use of sensationalism, conspiracy theories, and the rejection of mainstream academic consensus in favor of fringe or unsubstantiated claims. Pseudohistorians may treat myths, legends, and unreliable sources as literal historical truth, while dismissing or suppressing contradictory evidence from credible scholarly sources.
How Can You Identify Pseudohistory?
There are several key indicators that can help identify pseudohistorical claims:
- Lack of Scholarly Rigor: Pseudohistorians typically display a “complete ignorance of the primary sources” and repeatedly make “inaccuracies and wild claims” that contradict established historical facts and consensus.
- Conspiracy Theories: Pseudohistorical narratives often rely on elaborate conspiracy theories that posit hidden agents or agendas responsible for suppressing the promoter’s revisionist thesis.
- Selective Use of Evidence: Pseudohistorians engage in “law office history,” cherry-picking evidence that supports their argument while ignoring or suppressing contradictory information.
- Sensationalism and Shock Value: Pseudohistorical works frequently employ sensationalism and aim to provoke shock or outrage, rather than presenting a balanced, evidence-based historical account.
- Rejection of Mainstream Consensus: Pseudohistorians typically dismiss or attack the findings of mainstream historians and archaeologists, insisting that there is no such thing as historical truth.
Examples of Pseudohistory
Some prominent examples of pseudohistorical claims and theories include:
- The Shakespeare authorship question, which claims Shakespeare’s works were written by someone other than the Bard of Stratford-upon-Avon.
- David Barton’s assertion that the United States was founded as an exclusively Christian nation, contradicting the historical consensus on the founders’ intent to separate church and state.
- The Irish slaves myth, which conflates the experiences of Irish indentured servants and enslaved Africans in the Americas.
- Holocaust denial and the denial of other genocides, such as the Armenian Genocide.
- Anatoly Fomenko’s “New Chronology,” which claims recorded history began around AD 800 and that earlier events never occurred or are inaccurate retellings.
- The “Donation of Constantine,” a forged document that purportedly transferred authority over Rome to the Pope.
- The “Sun Language Theory,” which argues all languages are descended from a form of proto-Turkish.
Categories of Pseudohistorical Theories
Pseudohistorical claims can generally be categorized into a few main types:
- Ethnocentric or Nationalist Revisionism: These theories, such as Dacianism in Romania or “Ancient Macedonism” in North Macedonia, seek to exaggerate the importance and primacy of a particular ethnic or national group in history.
- Occult and Fringe Theories: Pseudohistories derived from occultism, such as the “crypto-history” of Nazi Germany or the ancient astronaut hypothesis, often involve fantastical claims about lost civilizations or extraterrestrial influences.
- Conspiracy Theories: Pseudohistorical narratives frequently incorporate elaborate conspiracy theories that posit hidden agents or agendas responsible for suppressing the promoter’s revisionist thesis.
- Historical Negationism: Denial of well-documented historical events, such as the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide, or other atrocities, is a form of pseudohistory that seeks to minimize or erase these tragedies.
Motivations Behind Pseudohistory
The motivations driving pseudohistorical claims can vary, but often stem from a combination of the following factors:
- Political Agendas: Pseudohistorians may seek to legitimize or promote particular political ideologies, nationalist movements, or revisionist historical narratives.
- Religious Beliefs: Pseudohistorical theories can be used to support or validate certain religious doctrines, mythologies, or supernatural claims.
- Personal Biases: Pseudohistorical narratives may be influenced by the promoter’s own racial, ethnic, or ideological biases, such as racism, atheism, or ethnocentrism.
- Financial Incentives: Sensationalized pseudohistorical works can be lucrative, as demonstrated by the success of authors like Immanuel Velikovsky and Erich von Däniken.
In conclusion, pseudohistory is a form of pseudoscholarship that deliberately distorts and misrepresents the historical record to serve contemporary political, religious, or personal agendas, rather than pursuing genuine historical understanding. By identifying the hallmarks of pseudohistory and understanding the motivations behind it, we can better safeguard the integrity of historical scholarship and ensure that the study of the past remains grounded in rigorous, evidence-based research.