We are frequently asking ourselves today about the role of the historian in a rapidly changing world. Some expect the past provide them with an explanation or a justification of the present. Others search in history for the basic roots of identity or even for keys to the future. More than ever we are being faced with what Lucien Febvre perceived to be the social function of the historian: “to organize the past as a function of the present.” From this (...) arises a responsibility toward society, as the knowledge that is being produced gains its authenticity through being stamped as officially “scientific.” Faced with the expectations of society and the attention of the public, the historian has been called upon to disentangle events and to furnish a guiding thread, frequently by blending his role as a critic with a civic and an ethical one. Even when we are not dealing with the attempt to set up the historian, through an appeal to his great expertise, as the licensed sage in town, it must be stressed that assuming the rostrum in response to the questions of the time is-provided that the rules of the discipline are strictly adhered to-perfectly legitimate in that it provides history with signifiant depth. (shrink)

The objective of this study—a substudy to a phase I bioequivalence study—was to compare the effect of standard and concise consent forms on research volunteers’ comprehension of and satisfaction with consent forms, as well as to assess the effect of select volunteer characteristics, such as financial motivations to participate in research, on their comprehension. A 36-item questionnaire measured volunteers’ comprehension, satisfaction, and motivations for participation. Volunteers were randomized to the standard Pfizer consent form or a concise, easier-to-read form. We approached (...) 139 volunteers to participate, and 138 completed the questionnaire . The cohorts did not differ in sociodemographic characteristics. We found that the average comprehension scores for the standard consent form cohort and the concise consent cohort were about the same, and that satisfaction with the consent form was high in both cohorts. Surprisingly, volunteers with a financial motivation had significantly greater comprehension of the study. (shrink)

Doutes, incertitudes, perte d’une référence commune, anarchie épistémologique, dispersion des références théoriques, crise : les caractérisations de la situation contemporaine de la discipline historique en France semblent toutes aller dans le même sens. La fin des années 1970 aurait inauguré une mise en crise des modèles historiographiques dominants, et en particulier de celui de ce qu’on a longtemps appelé « l’école des Annales ». Quatre ouvrages collectifs récents tentent de prendre la mes...

Doutes, incertitudes, perte d’une référence commune, anarchie épistémologique, dispersion des références théoriques, crise : les caractérisations de la situation contemporaine de la discipline historique en France semblent toutes aller dans le même sens. La fin des années 1970 aurait inauguré une mise en crise des modèles historiographiques dominants, et en particulier de celui de ce qu’on a longtemps appelé « l’école des Annales ». Quatre ouvrages collectifs récents tentent de prendre la mes...

Neste trabalho, nosso objetivo foi expor a relevância das bases teórico-metodológicas da história da educação do tempo presente e desta para a pesquisa histórico-educacional. Partimos dos alicerces da história do tempo presente, destacando alguns conceitos construtores desse campo oriundos de autores como Rémond, Bédarida e Chartier, entre outros. A seguir, trabalhamos os avanços e os desafios enfrentados pelos pesquisadores desse campo. As fontes disponíveis para as pesquisa da história da educação do tempo presente foram destacadas, argumentando que a abundância delas (...) e a proximidade do pesquisador em relação ao tempo da sua ação não facilitam a pesquisa e não diminuem sua necessária rigorosidade. Os alicerces da história do tempo presente, os desafios, os avanços, suas fontes abundantes e sua aplicação rigorosa constroem uma nova epistemologia para a história da educação, marcada pelas incertezas que referenciam a centralidade da problematização na pesquisa histórica. Toda essa argumentação é reforçada pela idéia originária de que a educação, como uma prática social, exige de seus pesquisadores a consecução dos depoimentos orais, das informações e de todos os tipos de documentação oriundas dos sujeitos que a fizeram/fazem. Dans ce travail, nous avons eu pour objectif de montrer et de défendre l’importance de l’histoire de l’éducation du temps présent pour la recherche historico-éducative. Nous avons pris comme point de départ les fondements de l’histoire du temps présent, en soulignant quelques concepts constructeurs de ce champ créés par des auteurs tels que Rémond, Bédarida et Chartier, entre autres. Ensuite, nous avons analysé les avancements et les enjeux affrontés par les chercheurs de ce domaine. Les sources disponibles pour les recherches sur l’histoire de l’éducation du temps présent ont été mises en relief, en considérant le fait que leur abondance et la proximité du chercheur par rapport au moment de son action ne facilitent pas son travail ni en diminuent la rigueur nécessaire. Les fondements de l’histoire du temps présent, les enjeux, les avancements, ses sources abondantes et son application rigoureuse construisent une nouvelle épistémologie pour l’histoire de l’éducation marquée par les incertitudes qui fondent la centralité de la problématisation dans la recherche historique. Toute cette argumentation est renforcée par l’idée originaire selon laquelle l’éducation, en tant que pratique sociale, exige de ses chercheurs la consécution des témoignages oraux, des informations ainsi que de toute sorte de documents provenant des sujets qui l’ont faite/la font. (shrink)