Barton and Levstik: Empathy and Perspective Recognition

Stuart Foster maintains that historical inquiry "remains primarily cognitive, not an affective, act and one that is chiefly dependent upon knowledge, not feeling or imagination."

Barton and Levstik see historical inquiry differently. They agree that empathy and sympathy should be separated.  We cannot imagine another's experience as if it were our own; however, they see the value in empathy in a pluralist democracy. They argue "to engage in meaningful deliberation with those whose ideas differ from our own , we must do more than understand them -- we must care about them and about their perspectives" (207).

Joan Skolnick, Nancy Dulberg, and Thea Maestra "conceptualize empathy as involving both affective engagement and the primarily cognitive task of perspective taking. This requires imaginative intellectual and emotional participation and suggests that empathy might best be thought of as two distinct tools:One invites us to care with and about people in the past, to be concerned with what happened to them and how they experienced their lives...

On case study presented her was set in eighth grade where students learned about 19th century women; at first they considered women to be treated as slaves. An nquiry based unit was set up with questions such as How did women in the movement feel about those who were not? What percent of the population of women were involved in reform? Were there places where reform wasn't discussed? Students gathered data to answer these questions and developed an exhibit to display at a local university. "As each group's presentation developed, it became clear that they recognized that experiences and perspectives differed depending on individual beliefs and values, as well as their group's social, cultural, and political positions."  On exhibit on industrialization used images of hands -- a millworker, an economically privileged woman, and an enslaved woman -- to describe differences in conditions and perspective among those involved in or benefiting from various aspects of textile production. Such perspective recognition is possible at this age.

But how do we go beyond, as Hesford suggest? How do we understand that our own perspectives depend on historical context? "They are not necessarily the result of logical and dispassionate reason but reflect the beliefs we have been socialized into as members of cultural groups" (219).

Barton and Levstik acknowledge that and say they "dislike" the implication that anyone can "actually take the perspective of another." Thus, they talk about empathy as perspective recognition. 1) the recognition that at any given time in history was characterized by multiple perspectives, 2) the recognition that our own attitudes, beliefs, and intentions are historically and culturally situated. The goal of deliberation is to reach agreement on the future, and that requires consideration of the likely consequences of actions. Empathy and perspective recognition helps with understanding the consequences,and so students should not only evaluate the causes of historical events and the construction of its "reality," but on their outcomes.