Balakleets N.A. The Victor and the Defeated: Who Writes History
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15688/lp.jvolsu.2024.2.2
Natalia A. Balakleets
Candidate of Sciences (Philosophy), Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, Social Sciences and Humanities, Samara State Technical University
Molodogvardeyskaya St, 244, 443100 Samara, Russian Federation
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https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5191-3318
Abstract. The article, based on the methodologies of perspectivism and social constructivism, examines the problem of creating historical discourse from the perspective of the defeated, which is significant for the philosophy of history and political philosophy. The right to write history has traditionally been considered the prerogative of the victor. At the same time, philosophical and military theoretical thought demonstrate the ambivalence and semantic multidimensionality of the concepts of "victory" and "defeat." The study includes the theoretical analysis of the thesis of a number of authors (Carl Schmitt, Reinhart Koselleck, Christian Meier), who substantiate the right to historical discourse of the defeated. The conclusion that "the defeated writes history" was formulated by C. Schmitt in the essay "Historiography in nuce: Alexis de Tocqueville." Schmitt's justification for the discourse of the defeated has an existential and personal dimension and demonstrates the methodological rejection of naiveoptimistic and universalist projects of history. Subsequently, the bold and far from indisputable idea that the best versions of history belong not to the victors but to the defeated will be expressed by R. Koselleck. The scientist reveals the relationship between changes in experience (Erfahrungswandel) and changes in method (Methodenwechsel) of historical science. The author of the article argues that the understanding of military victory as the final point of confrontation between rivals is narrow and one-sided. The victory, included in the political context, can be regarded as the point of crystallization of new social and political relations. The post-war period shows whether the victor's political status is solid. It requires constant maintenance through discursive practices. The defeated, driven by resentment, is able to challenge the former victor by showing disagreement with his historical discourse. Thus, the victor must be especially vigilant in relation to the discursive practices of the defeated, the impact of which can be felt not only in the spiritual but also in the political sphere.
Key words: victor, defeated, history, philosophy of history, political philosophy, victory, defeat, discourse.
Citation. Balakleets N.A. The Victor and the Defeated: Who Writes History. Logos et Praxis, 2024, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 16-25. (in Russian). DOI: https://doi.org/10.15688/lp.jvolsu.2024.2.2
The Victor and the Defeated: Who Writes History by Balakleets N.A. is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International 
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