THE "T"RUTH IS ELSEWHERE:CRITICAL HISTORY.

This essay begins by deconstructing the basic question of how the present is defined in traditional historical explanation or analysis. It is our contention that to "rewrite" the present, one must be critical, examining the assumptions and methods behind historical "data" to identify what might be missed--whose stories are silenced--when theorists rely upon only the "great stories" of past events or "great men,"and to reveal metanarratives of history that support dominant regimes, hegemonies, and power structures. We then examine theoretical approaches to the use of theory, pointing out examples relevant to public administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]