¿Por qué estudiar historia? | Jose Luis Corral Lafuente | TEDxZaragozaUniversity

According to the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), history is the narration and exposition of past events worthy of remembrance, whether public or private, and is also defined as a lie or a pretext. "History" serves both truth and falsehood. And this has always been the case. Because history is an ideological weapon, and authorities have always used it to justify themselves. It is essential to study history at the beginning of the 21st century, emphasizing a critical approach that leads us to understand that we are what we are because of what we have been, and that no one tries to deceive us by distorting that history. According to the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), history is the narration and exposition of past events worthy of memory, whether public or private, and is also defined as a lie or a pretext. History is used for both truth and lies. And this has always been the case. Because history is an ideological weapon, and authorities have always used it to justify themselves. It is essential to study history at the beginning of the 21st century, insisting on a critical approach that leads us to understand that we are what we are because of what we have been, and that no one tries to deceive us by transforming history. I like to tell stories: I am a historian and I also write historical novels, a perfect oxymoron (my colleagues didn't like it at all). I am an unorthodox historian; I don't trust written sources (they lie; archaeological sources don't lie, but they don't speak). I am a professor of Medieval History in Zaragoza and have been a visiting professor at some fifty Spanish and foreign universities, as well as a historical advisor to Ridley Scott. I have received awards, such as the 2017 Aragonese Letters Prize, the 2015 Aragonese of the Year Award, and the Silver Medal in the The 34th New York International Film and Television Festival; I don't want any more, don't insist. I've published 27 novels, 35 historical books, some 300 articles in specialized journals, and more than 1,500 newspaper articles. That's what happens when you turn 65. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx