official history
State-approved past account
Official history refers to an account of past events that is sanctioned, commissioned, or approved by a government, institution, or other authority.
Such histories often serve the interests of those who authorize them, emphasizing favorable narratives while minimizing or omitting inconvenient facts.
The term frequently carries a skeptical connotation, implying that the account may be incomplete or biased compared to independent scholarship.
The official history of the war glossed over civilian casualties.
Reexamining established doctrine
- whitewashingConcealing unpleasant facts
- distortionTwisting from original state
- selectivityTendency to choose carefully
- erasureAct of wiping away
redaction · censorship · omission · oversimplification · mythmaking · anachronism · interpretation · subjectivity
Authority over a state
- canonicalAccepted as standard
- orthodoxConforming to established belief
- textbookAcademic subject manual
- curriculumEducational program's content plan
national narrative · institutional · establishment · endorsed · authorized · legitimacy · monarchy · regime
Proving something accurate
- sourcesPoints of origin
- evidenceFacts supporting truth
- documentationWritten proof or instructions
- corroborationEvidence confirming another account
authenticity · reliability · accuracy · objectivity · factual · validity · substantiation · cross-reference
Systematic uncritical belief instillation
- glorificationElevating praise or worship
- manipulationUnderhanded control of others
- disinformationIntentional deceptive falsehoods
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
falsification · brainwashing · persuasion · ideology · hegemony · dogma · statecraft · narrative control
revisionism
Reexamining established doctrine
- whitewashingConcealing unpleasant facts
- distortionTwisting from original state
- selectivityTendency to choose carefully
erasure · redaction · censorship · omission · oversimplification · mythmaking · anachronism · interpretation · subjectivity · partiality
government
Authority over a state
- canonicalAccepted as standard
- orthodoxConforming to established belief
- textbookAcademic subject manual
curriculum · national narrative · institutional · establishment · endorsed · authorized · legitimacy · monarchy · regime · ministry
verification
Proving something accurate
- sourcesPoints of origin
- evidenceFacts supporting truth
- documentationWritten proof or instructions
corroboration · authenticity · reliability · accuracy · objectivity · factual · validity · substantiation · cross-reference · testimony
indoctrination
Systematic uncritical belief instillation
- glorificationElevating praise or worship
- manipulationUnderhanded control of others
- disinformationIntentional deceptive falsehoods
fabrication · falsification · brainwashing · persuasion · ideology · hegemony · dogma · statecraft · narrative control · regime
- Ancient ChinaShang dynasty, Han dynasty, Confucius, Warring States period, oracle bones
- Modern ChinaDeng Xiaoping, Xi Jinping, economic reforms, economic zones, opening up
official historyalternative history
Genre reimagining past events
official historyfolk memory
Community's inherited recollections
oral history · oral tradition · folk history · lived experience · personal history
official historycounternarrative
Story opposing mainstream accounts
counter-narrative · marginalized voices · secret history · untold story · biased
official, history, office, officer, officially, unofficial, officiate, officiant, officialdom