Censorship of History

This Element challenges the assumption that historians produce their works in a political vacuum by examining the censorship of history.

Censorship is the dark side of historical writing. Because censorship is shrouded in secrecy, the subject stays outside mainstream histories. Many histories assume that historians produced their works in a political vacuum. This Element challenges this view through an examination of the post-1945 censorship of history.Censorship is the dark side of historical writing. Because much censorship is shrouded in secrecy, the subject tends to stay outside mainstream histories of historical writing. Consequently, many such histories offer unduly optimistic accounts of historical writing. They assume that historians produced their works in a political vacuum. This view is challenged here through an examination of the post-1945 censorship of history and its entanglement with power and freedom. This Element can be explored in three ways. The main overview discusses the international standards on freedom of expression, the demarcation debates on censorship, and the problems in tracing it; it also reviews censorship's reasons, key players, and effects. Furthermore, a dozen spotlights present significant themes or patterns of censorship. Finally, a glossary locates the concepts related to the censorship of history within the broader network of terms related to the freedom of expression about the past.