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hollyleaf's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Interesting, nuanced discussion of history in culture and the narratives created around them
siria's review
1.0
I started Dangerous Games in the hopes that it could be a useful introduction for students to how the past has been used and abused over time, both by professional historians and by politicians and the general public. Sadly this isn't even serviceable. While Margaret MacMillan writes in a very succinct and straightforward manner, her conclusions are often banal and the point of view laid out here is frequently almost shockingly naive—and that's the nicest I can say about it.
There's a careful attempt to seem scrupulously neutral when discussing the history of colonialism and the oppression of indigenous peoples in North America and Australia—some see this as X; others see this as Y—the disingenuous nature of which is revealed when MacMillan has no qualms about (rightly!) calling out post-WWII German, Austrian and Japanese popular amnesia about the atrocities committed by those nations. I found little evidence of a deep engagement with the historiography produced by indigenous historians or historians of colour. MacMillan criticises the turn of professional historians away from writing solely political or military history towards more social and cultural studies—the occasional study is all well and good, she suggests, but it's not proper history. This of course entirely ignores the fact that many historians still write—and teach—political and military history, and that the writing (and teaching) of such histories can only be made better through a more thorough and honest grounding in the contexts of its time.
And while perhaps it's unfair to chastise MacMillan, writing in the late 2000s, for not having predicted the rise of Flat Earthers when she wrote that "arguments over the position of the earth and the sun" belong to the past, it's mindboggling that she then goes on to assert that scientific racism and sexism are things of the past, when sadly we have daily proof that they are powerful forces still.
In her epilogue, MacMillan concludes by writing that the study of history is a necessity because it teaches us "humility, skepticism, and awareness of ourselves." Yes indeed—but only if we're willing to step outside of ourselves first.
There's a careful attempt to seem scrupulously neutral when discussing the history of colonialism and the oppression of indigenous peoples in North America and Australia—some see this as X; others see this as Y—the disingenuous nature of which is revealed when MacMillan has no qualms about (rightly!) calling out post-WWII German, Austrian and Japanese popular amnesia about the atrocities committed by those nations. I found little evidence of a deep engagement with the historiography produced by indigenous historians or historians of colour. MacMillan criticises the turn of professional historians away from writing solely political or military history towards more social and cultural studies—the occasional study is all well and good, she suggests, but it's not proper history. This of course entirely ignores the fact that many historians still write—and teach—political and military history, and that the writing (and teaching) of such histories can only be made better through a more thorough and honest grounding in the contexts of its time.
And while perhaps it's unfair to chastise MacMillan, writing in the late 2000s, for not having predicted the rise of Flat Earthers when she wrote that "arguments over the position of the earth and the sun" belong to the past, it's mindboggling that she then goes on to assert that scientific racism and sexism are things of the past, when sadly we have daily proof that they are powerful forces still.
In her epilogue, MacMillan concludes by writing that the study of history is a necessity because it teaches us "humility, skepticism, and awareness of ourselves." Yes indeed—but only if we're willing to step outside of ourselves first.
leezee's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.75
I enjoyed this! A quick read that is a little outdated at this point, being published in 2008, but with some interesting insights into how history is mobilized in classrooms and politics. While it suffers a bit from an overt Western perspective, MacMillan is sensitive to this. Overall: good read
_mallc_'s review against another edition
5.0
An erudite scholar who uses a broad range of events to look at the role history plays in our society and critiques its uses in the politics and cultures of many nations.
mimimortmain's review against another edition
Well, reading this in 2019 is a wild ride
minvanwin's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. Had I read this in grad school I might give this a more nuanced analysis. Some interesting insights, but nothing I can apply in my daily work.
eireannea's review against another edition
2.0
Would’ve enjoyed more if I could change font size on kindle did not help my dyslexia