1st Edition

History Under Debate International Reflection on the Discipline

By Lawrence J Mc Crank, Carlos Barros Copyright 2004
    316 Pages
    by Routledge

    318 Pages
    by Routledge

    Examine new trends in the writing of new history—and what they mean to information science!


    History has been devalued, causing a lack of career prospects for historians, a decrease in vocations to the history profession, and historical discontinuity between generations. History Under Debate: International Reflection on the Discipline is a recap of the crucial Second International Historia a Debate conference, held on July 17, 1999 in Santiago de Compostela. This book details the comparative critical perspectives on history, historians, their audiences, and the coming trends that will inevitably impact information science. The in-depth examination provides innovative approaches to historians as they redefine their discipline in relation to the global society of the new millennium while presenting invaluable insights for librarians, social scientists, and political scientists.

    History Under Debate: International Reflection on the Discipline examines how the writing of history in the twenty-first century is revitalized by international comparative historiography, thanks to new technologies and the multinational integration processes in economy, politics, culture, and academics. The first section discusses the Historia a Debate (HaD) Forum and Movement, detailing the need for change to restore history as a vital global subject in modern times. The remainder of the book consists of reflective and comparative views on the study of history and historiography as well as history in and about Spain and its relation to the rest of the world. The book explores new ways for moving the discipline beyond sources and source criticism alone to a different concept of the historical profession as a science with a human subject that discovers the past as people construct it. Included in this book is the English translation of the HaD Manifesto—a proposal designed to unify historians of the twenty-first century and ensure a new dawn for history, its writings, and its teachings.

    History Under Debate: International Reflection on the Discipline includes vital discussions on:

    • “Linguistic Turn,” Postmodernism, and Deconstruction
    • gender studies and social history
    • objectivity and subjectivity in historical interpretation
    • multiple views of history from differing times and places
    • history as criticism, literature, and reconstruction
    History Under Debate: International Reflection on the Discipline is an essential resource that teaches historians, librarians, social scientists, and humanists how to use cross-border development and new global historiographic networks to bring hope for a future in history.

    • About the Editors
    • Contributors
    • Preface: History As a Primary Source (Lawrence J. McCrank)
    • PART I: THE HAD FORUM AND MOVEMENT
    • Chapter 1. The Return of History (Carlos Barros)
    • History Accelerates
    • The Positivist Turn
    • Reconstruction and Reform
    • Possible Diagnosis
    • Narrative History
    • Commitment in History
    • Reflective History
    • Interdisciplinary History
    • Global History
    • Assertive History
    • Chapter 2. History Under Debate Manifesto (HaD Signatories)
    • Methodology
    • Historiography
    • Theory
    • Society
    • Attestation
    • PART II: DEBATE AND DISCUSSION
    • HISTORY IN AND OF SPAIN
    • Chapter 3. The Linguistic Turn and Postmodernity Among Spanish Historians (Francisco Vázquez G.)
    • Social History As an Academic Subject (1950-1982)
    • A Period of Fecundity and Empiricism (1982-1990)
    • The Subjectivist Turn
    • The Linguistic Turn and Postmodernism: Mistrust and Rejection
    • Chapter 4. Teaching Women’s History in Spanish Universities (Cristina Segura Graiño and A. C. Almudayna)
    • Underrepresentation of Women in History
    • Women’s Studies: The Status Quo
    • Teaching Women’s History
    • Postgraduate Programs
    • Extracurricular Activities
    • Appendix: Universities Teaching Women’s History
    • Chapter 5. Centers and Peripheries: Writing and Teaching Medieval and Early Modern Spanish History (Teófilo F. Ruiz)
    • Introduction: Research Centers and Paradigms
    • Center and Periphery in Teaching and Writing About Spain
    • Teaching the Center from the Peripheries
    • The Paradigm of Center and Periphery
    • Local, Regional, and National Histories
    • Overturning Center-Based Histories
    • Conclusion
    • REFLECTIVE AND COMPARATIVE VIEWS
    • Chapter 6. The History of Historiography: Retrospective Analysis and Research (Gonzalo Pasamar Alzuria)
    • Situational Overview
    • Conceptualization
    • Conclusion
    • Chapter 7. History Facing the Perpetual Present: The Past-Future Relationships (Jérôme Baschet)
    • Introduction
    • Middle Ages in Chiapas: Actuality of the Inactual
    • History, a Bridge Between Past and Future
    • Resisting the Perpetual Present
    • Discordant Temporalities in History
    • Chapter 8. Recent Trends in U.S. Social History (Hal S. Barron)
    • Introduction: “New” Social History
    • Culture and Society
    • Labor History
    • Women’s History
    • Rural History
    • Immigration and Social Identity
    • Ethnic Identities and Social Minorities
    • Twentieth-Century Social History
    • Conclusion
    • Chapter 9. Historical Information Science: History in Information; Information in History (Lawrence J. McCrank)
    • Introduction
    • Conceptualization and Definition
    • Conclusion
    • Chapter 10. The Historian As Subject and Object (Adeline Rucquoi)
    • Chapter 11. Illusions About and Underestimation of the Role of Sentiment in the Historian’s Work (Hubert Watelet)
    • From Objectivist Illusions to Initial Disillusions
    • Emotion in Objectivity and Misconceptions About Ranke
    • The Underestimated Role of Subjectivity and Sentiment
    • Revival of Lucidity in France on the Eve of Postmodernism
    • From Marrou to Ricoeur and Return to Ranke Revisited
    • Conclusion
    • Chapter 12. “The End of History”: Looking Back and Thinking Ahead (Israel Sanmartín)
    • Introduction
    • Looking Back
    • Thinking Ahead
    • Conclusions
    • Chapter 13. Globalization and Historiography (Juan Manuel

    Biography

    Lawrence J Mc Crank, Carlos Barros