Writing History: Theory and Practice

Description

The third edition of Writing History provides students and teachers with a comprehensive overview of how the study of history is informed by a broader intellectual and analytical framework, exploring the emergence and development of history as a discipline and the major theoretical developments that have informed historical writing. Instead of focusing on theory, this book offers succinct explanations of key concepts that illuminate the study of history and practical writing, and demonstrates the ways they have informed practical work. This fully revised new edition comprehensively rewrites and updates original chapters but also includes new features such as: - new chapters on postcolonial, environmental and transnational history; - chapter introductions setting them within the context of historiography; - a new substantive introduction from the editors, providing a useful road-map for students; - an expanded glossary. In its new incarnation Writing History is, more than ever, an invaluable introduction to the central debates that have shaped history.

Stefan Berger is Professor of Social History and Director of the Institute of Social Movements and the House for the History of the Ruhr at the Ruhr University Bochum, Germany. Heiko Feldner is Senior Lecturer in Modern German History at Cardiff University, UK. Kevin Passmore is Professor of History at Cardiff University, UK.

Berger, Passmore and Feldner have assembled a remarkable and essential book for our times. It is at once a tour of the discipline of history and its major currents as well as a series of meditations on its future pathways. Students and scholars alike will draw enlightenment and inspiration from it. * Jeremy Adelman, Henry Charles Lea Professor of History, Princeton University, USA * A valuable resource for students seeking a solid historical framework for their own historical inquiries, the updated edition features vital trends in historiography, from animal history and cultural history to the social biographies of material culture objects. Integrating the history of the discipline into assessments of its diverse practices, the authors succeed in making both methodology and theory accessible. * Susan A. Crane, Associate Professor of History, University of Arizona, USA * Writing History: Theory and Practice takes a broad view, attempting to say something about most areas of historiography. It shows the imaginative ways in which different historians use various theoretical tools. * John H. Arnold, Professor of Medieval History, University of Cambridge, UK * Writing History: Theory and Practice was already one of the best collections of essays on historical writing. Now the third edition expands its reach while incorporating the most recent developments. Authored by a seasoned team of experts, this volume leaves few stones unturned as it considers the intellectual roots of the discipline, the engagement of historians with other fields, and the state of contemporary practice. Each of the nineteen chapters is a brilliant standalone contribution reflecting on key aspects of historical scholarship, but they also fit together remarkably well to provide a comprehensive account of Western historiography and the major turns of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The result is an accessible, indispensable survey of history's complex and fascinating theoretical terrain. * J. Laurence Hare, Associate Professor of History, University of Arkansas, USA * An excellent book, now updated, which is essential for introducing advanced Master's students to the theory and history of historical research, in an accessible format. * Ian Miller, Ulster University, UK *