This study by one of the liveliest and most thought-provoking historians has a refreshing transparency and ground-breaking determination to demystify what fellow practitioners do. In looking at history as an academic discipline and engaging the reader with the use of historical ideas in the wider world, this book takes into account recent world events such as the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York and the war in Iraq. Also included is a new chapter on the relationships between religious, ethnic and political identities, the history of international diplomacy and how the world map gets reconfigured. The study of history has changed dramatically in recent decades. The swiftness and scale of the shift has been well documented, but the precise nature of the implications of it remain hotly contested and are explored in this insightful analysis. Read Less