The Manufacture of History
George Orwell recognized the key role that history plays in perpetuating power when he said, “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” Today progressive historians are challenging conventional notions of mainstream history. They are shaking up the academy and its shibboleths about the past. One such example comes from ancient Rome. We all know the story. Caesar was a tyrant and deserved to be assassinated. The guys that did him in were democrats. A closer look at what went on in 44 B.C. reveals a radically different picture.
Speaker
Michael Parenti
Michael Parenti was a leading independent political analyst, scholar, and author. Cornel West called him “a towering prophetic voice.” He taught at major colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad. He is the author of numerous books, including Democracy for the Few, Power and the Powerless, and Against Empire. He passed away on January 24, 2026, at the age of 92.
Questioning the Unquestionable
“It is not demanded of readers that they embrace my views, but that they reflect upon their own. How seldom we bother to explore in some critical fashion the fundamental preconceptions that shape our understanding of social and political life. How frequently, as if by reflex rather than reflection, we respond to certain cues and incantations, resisting any incongruous notion. Our opinions shelter and support us; it is an excruciating effort to submit them to reappraisal. Yet if we are to maintain some pretense at being rational creatures, we must risk the discomfiture that comes with questioning the unquestionable, and try to transcend our tendencies toward mental confinement.” – Michael Parenti
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