In the contemporary world, we encounter the past in many ways and places; in textbooks, monuments, films, museums, historic sites, as well as the writings of professional historians. The versions of history presented in these diverse forms challenge each other in many ways. They raise questions about who owns the past, who knows the most about the past, who has access to the evidence in all its variety and who ends up telling the story. This course adopts a comparative approach, concentrating on Europe and the United States, with occasional consideration of Asia and Latin America.