In our previous post we’d mentioned what Historiography is and tried to outline various Historiographical schools of it that were popular from the Ancient Classical period to the first half of the 20th century. In this post we’re focusing on more current developments in Historiography and what such developments may mean for future historians.
Think like a Historian:
Are there any strict definitions a historian has to follow when choosing a Historiographical approach?
Feminist Historiography
This school emerged most predominantly in 1960s-70s with the rise of the second wave feminist movement in Europe and the US. The scholars related to this school argue that perspective on various historical events provided by women were neglected by traditional historians. As a result, such perspectives need to be uncovered. Usually, feminist historians focus on issues of class and gender-based power relations to create an argument in their works; therefore intersecting with the Marxist school.
Suggested reading list:
- Joan Wallach Scott, Gender and Politics of History (although slightly heavy in places, this book serves as a good introduction into major feminist historiographical debates)
- Apart from being a phenomenal historian (who has written extensively on Tudor England) Suzannah Lipscomb, is also a presenter. We strongly recommend for you to watch her newest series Witch Hunts: a Century of Murder.
- Of course, we haven’t forgotten the TRULY LEGENDARY Dr Lucy Worseley! We very strongly recommend her If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home. Hopefully it will make your Lockdowns more bearable. (She also just made really awesome documentaries on Imperial Russia in partnership with the BBC.)
- ed. Judith Newton, Mary Ryan and Judith Walkowitz, Sex and Class in Women’s History
LGBTQ+, or Queer, Historiography
This school emerged fully at approximately the same time as its Feminist and Critical Race counterparts. This approach attempts to understand history through the perspective of LGBTQ+ individuals. Usually works from this school focus on uncovering socio-cultural histories of LGBTQ+ communities. This means that scholars tend to discuss the cultural and social traditions and how LGBTQ+ individuals responded to those.
Suggested Reading List
- Lillian Faderman, Gay Revolution, The : The Story of the Struggle (This is an excellent introduction to the civil and LGBTQ+ rights movement in the USA in 1950s.)
- Michael Bronski, A Queer History of the United States (This work gives a very interesting revisionist account of LGBTQ+ histories across the history of the United States)
- A.B. Christa Schwarz, Gay Voices of the Harlem Renaissance (This book will be very interesting for those who are looking into the cultures of the Harlem Renaissance, specifically the key individuals who’d shaped it)
- Leila J. Rupp, Sapphistries: A Global History of Love Between Women (This work, as seen in the name, is solely about the histories of women who love women.)
World, or Macro-, Historiography
This school emerged predominantly in the increasingly globalised world from about early 1990s-2000s. Historians associated with such an approach usually focus on contextualising a geographical region within a wider world via economics and/or cultural links.
Suggested reading list:
- David Abulafia, The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean
- Peter Frankopan, The Silk Roads: A New History of the World
- ed. Penguin Classics, Ibn Fadlan and the Land of Darkness: Arab Travellers in the Far North (Although this is a primary source, the introduction gives a reader a valuable insights into the global connections of the Mediaeval period)
Think like a Historian:
Can two conflicting Historiographical traditions coexist? Why do you think so?
Local, or Micro-, Historiography
This approach emerged at approximately the same time as its Macro- counterpart. However, this approach focuses more on very local histories and attempts to contextualise them within a bigger picture of a country or even a socio-cultural trend.
Suggested reading list:
- Suzannah Lipscomb, The Voices of Nîmes: Women, Sex, and Marriage in Reformation
- Carlo Ginzburg, The Cheese and the Worms: The Cosmos of a Sixteenth-Century Miller
- Christopher Haigh, English Reformations: Religion, Politics, and Society under the Tudors
Critical Race Historiography
Critical Race Historiography is probably one of the newest approaches. Although there was a growing interest in racial issues from the 1960s, following the Civil Rights Movement in the USA, this school has gained a lot of momentum in the last few years. As its name suggests, the historians who use this approach focus on history from a racial angle. That is not to say that they neglect issues related to class, economics and power-relations.
Suggested reading list:
- Thandeka K. Chapman, Paul A. Schutz, ed. Jessica T. DeCuir-Gunby, Understanding Critical Race Research Methods and Methodologies: Lessons from the Field
- Olivette Otele, African Europeans: An Untold History
- Miranda Kaufmann, Black Tudors: The Untold Story
- David Olusoga, Black and British: A Forgotten History (Apart from being an extremely engaging historian, Mr Olusoga also makes awesome documentaries; his most recent one being Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners on BBC)
What does future hold for historians?
Having seen some Historiographical trends die out and others emerge it is not entirely clear what will happen with Historiography in the near future. Some possible contributing factors that may dictate the course of Historiography may be Covid and the rising tensions within society that we’ve seen emerging. Probably future historians will be researching various epidemics, or even natural disasters and how people have responded to those.
Think like a Historian:
Where do you think Historiographical approaches will go in 5 years time? In 20 years time? May be even, if you’re feeling ambitious, in 100 years time?
No Fear History 