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Some worry that such investigation will reveal a lack of unity, while others worry that it
may reveal a less than acceptable form of unity. And many sense the possibility of a
danger to the values they wish to advocate and to the beliefs that they wish to sustain.
As I noted earlier, there are, of course, always particular issues and problems that
govern the perspective from which history is written, but there is also an important
distinction between the purpose for which history is written and its status as a historical
account. The purpose may, for example, be critical, and even designed to persuade
with respect to perceptions of the present character of the field and its future direction,
but since persuasive force can no longer be detached from issues of scholarly validity,
the kind of strategic histories that have dominated the discussion for so many years can
no longer suffice and will carry little weight beyond those who already subscribe to the
image they seek to evoke.
Theory 30 (2002).
Convention