Jon A. Levisohn is the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Associate Professor of Jewish Educational Thought at Brandeis University, USA, where he also directs the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education and chairs the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies.
No history educator has made a more compelling case for the importance of interpretive virtues than Jon Levisohn. Drawing on a wealth of examples, Teaching Historical Narratives shows that historical interpretation requires openness, sensitivity, courage, and humility on the historian’s part. -- Herman Paul, author of Historians’ Virtues: From Antiquity to the Twenty-First Century, Leiden University, The Netherlands In this fine work Levisohn draws on recent studies in the philosophy of history, emphasizing the role of narrative, in order to advance a theory of the teaching of history. Rich in detail and perceptive in its grasp of the issues, this is a book that will impress teachers and writers of history. -- David Carr, Professor Emeritus, Emory University, USA Levisohn’s book offers a theory of practice in historical inquiry that is, by re-envisioning the teaching of history, a great boon to both teachers and students alike. The need to negotiate between extant narratives is as pressing today as it ever was, and this challenge is insightfully addressed through an account of the exercise of responsibility to historical evidence and other virtues of historical interpretation. -- Guy Axtell, Professor of Philosophy, Radford University, USA