Persuasive histories: Decentering, recentering and the emotional crafting of the past

This predominantly theoretical paper concentrates on the strategic presentation of history. The dynamics of re‐presenting the past is framed as the simultaneous processes of decentering and recentering. It shows that a postmodern epistemology is relevant in understanding the strategic use of history but a postmodern approach concentrates only on the production of historical accounts. The negotiated reception of history has to be considered too. The discussions draw inspirations from organizational studies, heritage studies and Meštrovic’s post‐emotionalism. This article argues that the simultaneous crafting of audiences’ thoughts, experiences and emotions is central in the effective communication of history. This paper also points out the consequences of its arguments for organizational research and theories.