«للتاريخ دورٌ حيويٌّ في تحديد مسار الأمم في الحاضر والمستقبل؛ فهو يقدِّم خُلاصة خبرات الأمم ذات الحضارات التي صاغت التُّراث الإنساني وتجارِبها، تلك الخبرات والتجارِب التي تقدِّم مَعينًا لا ينضب من الدروس المُستفادَة منها، والتي تتكشَّف كلما تعمَّق الباحثون في التاريخ يجلُون غوامضه، ويسلِّطون الضوء على دلالته بمختلف الوسائل المنهجية.»
يضم هذا الكتاب مجموعة متنوِّعة من مقالات «رءوف عباس»، جمعها وأعدَّها «عُبادة كُحيلَة»، وهي بمنزلة حديث ثري أفضى به «رءوف عباس» في موضوعاتٍ شتَّى، تتعلَّق جميعُها بكتابة تاريخ مصر من ناحية، وقضايا الأمة من ناحية أخرى؛ فتتضمَّن الحديث عن أهمية الوثائق، واعتبارها المورِد الأهم من موارِد الكتابة التاريخية، ينبغي الحفاظ
Professor Raouf Abbas was a leading Egyptian historian and a professor of modern history at Cairo University and president of the Egyptian Society of Historical Studies.
Academic career - Vice Dean for Graduate Studies and Research, Faculty of Arts, Cairo University, 1996–1999. - Visiting Full-time Professor, Department of Arabic Studies, The American University in Cairo, 1992-1996. - Professor of Modern History, Faculty of Arts, Cairo University, from 1981-2008. - Chairman, History Department, Faculty of Arts, Cairo University, 1982-1988. - Associate Professor of Modern History, Faculty of Arts, Cairo University, 1977-1981. - Lecturer, Qatar University, 1974-1978. - Lecturer, Faculty of Arts, Cairo University, 1971-1976. - Teaching Assistant, Faculty of Arts, Cairo University, 1967-1971.
Academic Activities - Visiting Fellow, Institute of Developing Economies, Tokyo, April 1972 - January 1973; May - September 1977. - Visiting Fellow, Institute for the Study of languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, Tokyo University for Foreign Studies, February - September 1973; July - September 1987; October 1989 - September 1990. - Visiting Professor, Sorbonne University, Paris IV, February 1980. - Visiting Professor, Essen, Kiel, Hamburg and Freiburg Universities, Germany, November - December 1982. - Part-time Lecturer, CASA, The American University in Cairo, 1983 - 1991. - Lecture Tour in USA organized by MESA, covered UCLA, USCLA, SCULA, Stanford University, Georgia State University, Mills College (November 1990). - Organized and Chaired six symposiums and conferences in Cairo and Ain Shams Universities, Egypt, 1978 - 1993. - Chairman, Historical Studies Unit, Center of Political and Strategic Studies, Al-Ahram Organization, Cairo, since February 1980. - Member, The Permanent Academic Committee of History, Supreme Council of the Egyptian Universities, since October 1985. - Member, History Committee, The Supreme Council of Culture, Egypt, 1991-2008. - President, The Egyptian Historical Studies Association, 1999-2008. - Editor in Chief, Ruzname, Annual Bulletin of the Egyptian National Archives, Cairo 2003-2008.
Honors - Holder of Science and Arts Decoration, First class, Awarded by the President of Egypt, February 1983. - State Prize of Distinguished Academic Achievement in Social Science, Egypt, June 2000.