Apostolos Spanos – författare

Games of History provides an understanding of how games as artefacts, textual and visual sources on games and gaming as a pastime or a “serious” activity can be used as sources for the study of history.From the vast world of games, the book’s focus is on board and card games, with reference to physical games, sports and digital games as well. Considering culture, society, politics and metaphysics, the author uses examples from various places around the world and from ancient times to the present to demonstrate how games and gaming can offer the historian an alternative, often very valuable and sometimes unique path to the past. The book offers a thorough discussion of conceptual and material approaches to games as sources, while also providing the reader with a theoretical starting point for further study within specific thematic chapters. The book concludes with three case studies of different types of games and how they can be considered as historical sources: the gladiatorial games, chess and the digital game Civilization.Offering an alternative approach to the study of history through its focus on games and gaming as historical sources, this is the ideal volume for students considering different types of sources and how they can be used for historical study, as well as students who study games as primary or secondary sources in their history projects.

Games of History provides an understanding of how games as artefacts, textual and visual sources on games and gaming as a pastime or a “serious” activity can be used as sources for the study of history.From the vast world of games, the book’s focus is on board and card games, with reference to physical games, sports and digital games as well. Considering culture, society, politics and metaphysics, the author uses examples from various places around the world and from ancient times to the present to demonstrate how games and gaming can offer the historian an alternative, often very valuable and sometimes unique path to the past. The book offers a thorough discussion of conceptual and material approaches to games as sources, while also providing the reader with a theoretical starting point for further study within specific thematic chapters. The book concludes with three case studies of different types of games and how they can be considered as historical sources: the gladiatorial games, chess and the digital game Civilization.Offering an alternative approach to the study of history through its focus on games and gaming as historical sources, this is the ideal volume for students considering different types of sources and how they can be used for historical study, as well as students who study games as primary or secondary sources in their history projects.

Decontesting Historical Consciousness provides a comprehensive exploration of historical consciousness, redefining it not just as an academic concept but as a fundamental human state of mind essential for navigating the modern world. By approaching historical consciousness from an ontological perspective and by viewing humans and the world as both “history-made” and “history-making,” the text illuminates how our understanding of the past directly shapes our individual well-being and collective survival.After an overview of how historical consciousness has been defined over time, this book offers a new ontological definition of the concept. Then it proceeds to analyse the historicity of the world and the human, the historicity of time and historical narratives, and the ways in which history is used. Furthermore, the book discusses the relation of historical consciousness to historical knowledge and historical thinking. A distinctive feature of the work is the introduction of original typologies, including an 11-part model of historical thinking and a three-tiered quality level of consciousness: Innate, reflective, and scholarly. The author also bridges the gap between theory and practice by examining the application of history in politics, education, and entertainment, while utilizing Bloom’s taxonomy to categorize historical knowledge.Designed for scholars, students, and practitioners in history, history education, philosophy, and sociology, this book is an essential resource for those seeking to enhance historical thinking and self-awareness. Its unique “two-timensional” versus “three-timensional” approach makes it a compelling read for anyone interested in how historical narratives and “biocultural” evolution influence contemporary democratic participation and global crises like climate change.