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In a series of related articles, several authors argue that the establishment of military superintendency at the US Armories in 1841 enabled Daniel Tyler′s “pathbreaking inspection” in 1832 to exert disciplinary power over labour and stimulate subsequent productivity improvements. In essence, the authors identify a critical event, place it in a Foucauldian power/knowledge framework, and accredit it with major impact on accounting development. A careful re‐examination of archival material discloses, however, that in these “new” histories, factual material is selectively presented and questionably interpreted, apparently to bolster a disciplinary‐based historical viewpoint. Re‐examines letters, documents, and secondary source material and compares this evidence to the factual material presented in the new Foucauldian histories. Arrives at a more traditional interpretation of events at the Springfield Armory, one that minimizes the historical impact of Tyler′s work and West Point trained superintendency. The overriding contention is that the search for an understanding of accounting history should not be driven by a post‐modern theory of social relations.

Nobody concerned with political economy can neglect the history of economic doctrines. Structural changes in the economy and society influence economic thinking and, conversely, innovative thought structures and attitudes have almost always forced economic institutions and modes of behaviour to adjust. We learn from the history of economic doctrines how a particular theory emerged and whether, and in which environment, it could take root. We can see how a school evolves out of a common methodological perception and similar techniques of analysis, and how it has to establish itself. The interaction between unresolved problems on the one hand, and the search for better solutions or explanations on the other, leads to a change in paradigma and to the formation of new lines of reasoning. As long as the real world is subject to progress and change scientific search for explanation must out of necessity continue.

People's Republic of China's (P.R.C.) view of its relationship with other countries has changed totally in recent years. It is now steering a “middle path” with the extreme attitudes of the past being overcome. PRC President Jiang Zeming in a speech during his recent visit to Russia said, “it has become a proven fact that neither confrontation nor alliance conforms to the fundamental interests of the two peoples”. Former slogans, popular in 1960's/1970's, such as “Down with US imperialism and Soviet revisionism! and phrases like “comrade plus brother and friendship built up by blood and flesh”, are no longer heard in recent years.

The purpose of this study is to highlight the pitfalls companies face in confronting their history and how to manage them.

This study uses a review of the literature and current commentary on how different cultures and companies have come to terms with their history with slavery.

Companies that demonstrate transparency, accountability and consistency are more likely to accrue reputational equity.

The research involved was selective and by no means exhaustive.

This is the first treatment of contemporary corporate encounters with their history set in the context of historical revisionism.

Explores the possibilities of basing scientific investigation on the practical experiences gained by the author when he participated in the development of the Student Information System of a Finnish university. The practical process which lasted over a decade contained several theoretically interesting issues which could be formulated as meaningful research problems. They concerned the design of acts, the evaluation of the outcomes of the various phases of the process, and the formulation of the experience to models which could be transferred to other contexts. The overall analysis method is reflection‐in‐action in the form suggested by Donald Schön. Each practical problem is paraphrased through reflection‐in‐action which yields a theoretical understanding of the phenomenon at hand. This frames the situation; the framing is necessary for the solution that is to be designed. Indicates that reflection‐in‐action can yield research results just as valid as other types of organizational studies. It is not superior to other possible approaches such as action research or organizational ethnography, but the threats to its quality, like the danger of partiality and revisionism of the investigator involved, are compensated for because the researcher has excellent access to the target organization and even confidential data.

The purpose of this paper is to set out three dilemmas that challenge historians of education who write for both professional and academic audiences. It focuses on the example of using fiction as a source for understanding the informal education of girls in the twentieth century. It contributes to the debate over the purpose of history of education and the possibilities that intersecting and contested analytical frameworks might contribute to the development of the discipline.

The paper discusses the rules of engagement and the duties of a historian of education. It reforms current concerns into three dilemmas: audience, method and writing. It gives examples drawn from research into girls’ school stories between 1910 and 1960. It highlights three authors and stories set in Australia, England and an international school in order to explore what fiction offers in getting “inside” the classroom.

Developed from a conference keynote that explored intersecting and contested histories of education, the paper sets up as many questions as it provides answers but re-frames them to include the use of a genre that has been explored by historians of childhood and literature but less so by historians of education.

The vast quantity of stories set in girls’ schools between 1910 and 1960 necessarily demands a selective reading. Authors may specialise in the genre or be general young people’s fiction authors. Reading such stories must necessarily be set against changing social, cultural and political contexts. This paper uses examples from the genre in order to explore ways forward but cannot include an exhaustive methodology for reasons of space.

This paper suggests fiction as a way of broadening the remit of history of education and acting as a bridge between related sub-disciplines such as history of childhood and youth, history and education. It raises practical implications for historians of education as they seek new approaches and understanding of the process of informal education outside the classroom.

This paper suggests that the authors should take more seriously the impact of children’s reading for pleasure. Reception studies offer an insight into recognising the interaction that children have with their chosen reading. While the authors cannot research how children interacted historically with these stories in the mid-twentieth century, the authors can draw implications from the popularity of the genre and the significance of the legacy of the closed school community that has made series such as Harry Potter so successful with the current generation.

The marginal place of history of education within the disciplines of history and education is both challenging and full of possibilities. The paper draws on existing international debates and discusses future directions as well as the potential that girls’ school stories offer for research into gender and education.

Argues that changing context to post‐communist pluralism and possible civil war brings the textual ambiguities and current relevance of Milovan Djilas′ political thought into a sharper focus. From this angle Djilas is provocatively Janus‐like, sounding simultaneously “liberal” on policy issues, and “revolutionary existentialist” in literary and biographical genres. In deconstructing Djilas, methods of post‐modern discourse analysis and post‐communist political analysis converge. Shifting language from pragmatism to absolutism is expected in Yugoslavia. Djilas′ originality lies in making the rules of applicability for each mode of discourse clearer.

In this study, the authors look at the case of Ferdinand Marcos, President of the Philippines between 1965 and 1986. Documenting the life and career of Marcos on Wikipedia provides an excellent example of the pitfalls confronting those seeking to address disinformation without first reflecting deeply on the reasons why people subscribe to views deemed outlandish by the intellectual or cultural mainstream.

The authors sampled the version of the Marcos article on Wikipedia as it existed after the first edit of each year since its inception (2002). This resulted in 22 texts for analysis. Content and thematic analyses were conducted on these texts as well as on the entire body of talk page comments for the article.

The authors' work suggests that the basic elements of responsible encyclopedic writing have prevailed in the case of Wikipedia's biography of Marcos. However, this is not an unalloyed victory, as issues of polarization remain unaddressed.

Underlying revisionist or distorted claims about Ferdinand Marcos (and other controversial topics) lie very real grievances that give these claims traction for many people. Hence, it is not enough to “just present the facts” to readers. Rather, the authors argue that what is needed is a synthesis of positions that would allow for common ground to be found between them. This could be done in the case of Wikipedia by cultivating editors who are capable and willing to engage with the subject literature in a deeper and richer fashion.