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This lecture continues to explore methods and practices of history writing in 鈥榩ostmodern鈥� times (i.e. post WWII, roughly from the 1960s). This week we shall discuss two methodological strands which were to contribute to the rise of 鈥榗ultural history鈥� from the 1980s: Italian microhistory and 鈥榚thnographic鈥� history writing in the US. Common to both was the move away from 鈥榮ociety鈥� and sociological towards 鈥榗ulture鈥� and anthropological method as reference points of historical thinking and writing.

The Italian microhistorians, most of them initially harboured strong Marxist affinities, aimed to break away from the domineering 鈥榯otal history鈥� paradigm of the Annales school that ruled Italian history writing in the 1950s and 1960s. They also struggled with Italy鈥檚 fascist and colonial past and a history writing that had supported both ideologies. They hoped to provide new leftist and liberal perspectives that were also able to offer an alternative to another looming threat: the destruction of local culture and custom by a fast-growing global post WWII consumer capitalism 鈥楢merican style鈥�. Microhistorians, such as Carlo Ginzburg or Giovanni Levi, suggested a 鈥榤icroscopic鈥� investigation of small local units of research that traced the everyday experiences of individuals and diversity of local cultures. Their histories celebrated the lives, feelings, and intellectual worlds of a village, a family or even a single person.

Historians in the US of the 1980s lived in a different political world. They experienced the beginnings of economic and political neoliberalism. However, they too, moved away from the practices, values and norms of modern history writing. They too turned their backs on the modernist dream of 鈥榯otal history鈥� and embraced the methods of another neighbouring science: anthropology. The writings of 鈥榮ymbolic anthropologists鈥� such as the American Clifford Geertz and his method of 鈥榯hick description鈥�, enthused an entire generation of young American historians and moved the anthropological concept of 鈥榗ulture鈥� (instead of 鈥榮ociety鈥�) firmly to the core of the academic historical enterprise.

While differing in their methodological approaches and politics, Italian microhistorians and American ethno-historians shared the enthusiasm for the early modern period. As the historian Robert Darnton famously claimed, the early modern world with its strange religious rituals, bizarre practices and world views had nothing in common with that one鈥檚 own. It was a 鈥榝oreign land鈥�, he claimed. The historians task was to resurrect its secrets and 鈥榤eanings鈥�.

 

Some READINGS CAN ALSO BE FOUND

Texts/Documents/Arguments/Sources

Ginzburg, Carlo, The Cheese and the Worms: The Cosmos of a Sixteenth-Century Miller ([Italian original, 1976]; London, 1980; e-book 2013)
Extracts from ; prefaces (pp. 13-20) plus sections 1-19 (pp. 23-50) and 58-62 (pp. 106-116)
[same passages on pdfs scanned from 1980 edition: prefacesLink opens in a new window plus pp. 1-41Link opens in a new window, 112-128Link opens in a new window]

Darnton, Robert, ([1984] London, 2009), introduction (pp. 3-8) and 'Workers Revolt' (pp. 75-104).

 

Seminar Readings

Watch of Ginzburg on microhistory ()

' Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies 47, 1 (2017): 7-51.

 

Seminar Questions

What exactly is microhistory? Can we detect distinct perspectives, methods and sources?

Why did microstoria come to the fore in the 1970s /1980s Italy and why did anthropology become important to historians between the 1970s-1990s (and sociology less so)?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing history at such small scale / in the 鈥榚thnographic grain鈥�?

'Anthropological history is limited to synchronic analysis.' Discuss.

Why were US historians like Darnton interested in past rituals that appear foreign to us?

鈥楳icrohistory is dead in our global times.鈥� Discuss.

 

Significant Quotations

鈥楢s with language, culture offers to the individual a horizon of latent possibilities—a flexible and invisible cage in which he can exercise his own conditional liberty.鈥�
(Carlo Ginzburg, The Cheese and the Worms)

 

'The unifying principle of all microhistorical research is the belief that microscopic observation will reveal factors previously unobserved [...]. Phenomena previously considered to be sufficiently described and understood assume completely new meanings by altering the scale of observation. It is then possible to use these results to draw far wider generalizations although the initial observations were made within relatively narrow dimensions and as experiments rather than examples.鈥� (Giovanni Levi, 'On Microhistory,' in: Peter Burke ed., New Perspectives on Historical Writing (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1991), p. 93-113, 97-98.

 

鈥業t might simply be called cultural history; for it treats our own civilization in the same way that anthropologists study alien cultures. It is history in the ethnographic grain. 鈥� This book investigates ways of thinking in eighteenth-century France. It attempts to show not merely what people thought but how they thought—how they construed the world, invested it with meaning, and infused it with emotion.鈥� (Darnton, The Great Cat Massacre, p. 3)

 

Further Readings

Magnusson, S.G., et al., What Is Microhistory? Theory And Practice (2021)

Brewer, J., 鈥楳icrohistory and the Histories of Everyday Life鈥�, Cultural and Social History, 7:1 (2010): 87-109.

Burke, P., 鈥楾alking Out the Cosmos [Review of Ginzburg, The Cheese & the Worms & of Falassi, Folklore by the Fireside鈥�, History Today 31 (1981), 54-55.

Burke, P. 鈥業ntroduction: Carlo Ginzburg, Detective鈥�, in Carlo Ginzburg, The Enigma of Piero: Piero della Francesca: The Baptism, The Arezzo Cycle, The Flagellation (London, 1985), 1-5

Chartier, R., 鈥樷��, in R. Chartier, Between Practice and Representation (Ithaca, 1988), pp. 95-112.

Chiappelli, F, 鈥楻eview [of Ginzburg, The Cheese and the Worms]鈥�, Renaissance Quarterly, 34 (1981), 397-400

Cohn, S., 鈥楻eview [of Ginzburg, The Cheese and the Worms]鈥�, Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 12 (1982), 523-5

Del Col, A., 鈥業ntroduction鈥�, in A. Del Col (ed.), Domenico Scandella, Known as Mennochio: His Trials Before the Inquisition (1583-1599), xi-cxii

Duffy, Eamon, The Voices of Morebath: Reformation and Rebellion in an English Village (2001)

Elliott, J. H., 鈥楻ats or Cheese? [Review of Cipolla, Faith, Reason & Plague & of Ginzburg, The Cheese and the Worms]鈥�, New York Review of Books 27:11 (26 June 1980).

Ginzburg, C., 鈥楥hecking the Evidence: the Judge and the Historian鈥�, Critical Inquiry 18 (1991): 79-82 (online).

Geertz, C., 鈥�, The Interpretation of Cultures (New York, Basic Books, 1973).

Ginzburg, C., & Gundersen, T. R., 鈥樷��, Eurozine (11 July, 2003)

Hunter, M., 鈥楻eview [of Ginzburg, The Cheese and the Worms]鈥�, History 66 (1981), 296

Ginzburg, C., 鈥樷��, in, ibid., Clues, Myth, and Historical Method, trans. John and Anne Tedeschi (Baltimore, 1989), pp. 156-165.

Kelly, W. W., 鈥楻eview [of Ginzburg, The Cheese and the Worms]鈥�, Journal of Peasant Studies 11 (1982), 119-21

Ginzburg, C., 鈥楾he High and the Low: The Theme of Forbidden Knowledge in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries鈥�, Past & Present, 73 (1976), 28-41, reprinted in Ginzburg, Myths, Emblems, Clues (London, 1990), 60-76

Ginzburg, C., 鈥楳orelli, Freud and Sherlock Holmes: Clues and Scientific Method鈥�, History Workshop Journal, 9 (1980), 5-36, reprinted as 鈥楥lues: Roots of an Evidential Paradigm鈥�, in Ginzburg, Myths, Emblems, Clues (London, 1990), 96-127

Gray, M., 鈥楳icro-history as Universal History鈥�, Central European History 34:3 (2001): 419-31

Gregory, B. S., 鈥業s Small Beautiful? Micro-history and the History of Everyday Life鈥�, History and Theory, 38:1 (February 1999), 100-110

Kuehn, T., 鈥楻eading Micro-history: The Example of Giovanni and Lusanna鈥�, Journal of Modern History, 61:3 (1989), 512-34

LaCapra, D., 鈥楾he Cheese and the Worms: The Cosmos of a Twentieth-Century Historian鈥�, in LaCapra, History and Criticism (Ithaca, 1980), 45-70

Le Roy Ladurie, Emmanuel, Montaillou: Cathars and Catholics in a French Village 1294-1324 (1978)

Luria, K., 鈥楾he Paradoxical Carlo Ginzburg鈥�, Radical History Review 35 (1986), 80-87

Luria, K. & Gandolfo, R., 鈥楥arlo Ginzburg: An Interview鈥�, Radical History Review, 35 (1986): 89-111.

Magnusson, S. G., 鈥楾he Singularisation of History: Social History and Micro-history within the Postmodern State of Knowledge鈥�, Journal of Social History, 36 (2003): 701-35.

Magnusson, S. G., 鈥楽ocial History as 鈥淪ites of Memory鈥�? The Institutionalisation of History: Micro-history and the Grand Narrative鈥�, Journal of Social History 39:3 (2006): 891-913.

Magn煤sson, S. G., and I. M. Szij谩rt贸, What is Microhistory? (London, 2013) E-book

Martin, J., 鈥楯ourney to the World of the Dead: The Work of Carlo Ginzburg鈥�, Journal of Social History, 25 (1992), 613-26.

Midelfort, H., 鈥楻eview [of Ginzburg, The Cheese and the Worms]鈥�, Catholic Historical Review 68 (1982).

Molho, T., 鈥楥arlo Ginzburg: Reflections on the Intellectual Cosmos of a 20th Century Historian鈥�, History of European Ideas, 30 (2004), 121-148.

Muir, E., & Ruggiero, G. (eds), History from Crime: Selections from Quaderni Storici (Baltimore, 1994).

Muir, E., & Ruggiero, G. (eds), Microhistory and the Lost Peoples of Europe: Selections from Quaderni Storici (Baltimore, 1991).

Muir, E., & Ruggiero, G. (eds), Sex and Gender in Historical Perspective: Selections from Quaderni Storici (Baltimore, 1990).

Peltonen, M., 鈥楥lues, Margins and Monads: The Micro-Macro Link in Historical Research鈥�, History and Theory 40 (2001), 347-59

Ruggiero, G., Binding Passions: Tales of Magic, Marriage and Power at the End of the Renaissance (Oxford, 1993)

Schutte, A. J., 鈥楻eview [of Ginzburg, The Cheese and the Worms]鈥�, Church History, 51 (1982).

Schutte, A. J., 鈥楻eview Article: Carlo Ginzburg鈥�, Journal of Modern History, 48 (1976), 296-315.

Scribner, R. W., 鈥業s a History of Popular Culture Possible?鈥�, History of European Ideas, 10 (1989): 175-91.

Scribner, R., 鈥楾he Historical Anthropology of Early Modern Europe鈥�, in R. Po-Chia Hsia & R. W. Scribner (eds), Problems in the Historical Anthropology of Early Modern Europe (Wiesbaden, 1997), pp. 11-34.

Szijarto, I., 鈥楩our Arguments for Micro-history鈥�, Rethinking History 6:2 (2002), 209-15

Valeri, V., 鈥楻eview [of Ginzburg, The Cheese and the Worms]鈥�, Journal of Modern History, 54 (1982): 139-43.

Zambelli, P., 鈥楩rom Menocchio to Piero della Francesca: The Work of Carlo Ginzburg鈥�, Historical Journal 28 (1985): 983-99.

 

History and Anthropology

Biersack, A., Local Knowledge, Local History: Geertz and Beyond, in L. Hunt (ed.), The New Cultural History (Berkeley, 1989), pp. 72-96.

Burke, P., History and Social Theory (Cambridge, 1992), esp. chs.1 & 4

Ibid., What is Cultural History, 2nd ed. (London, 2008).

Ibid., Varieties of Cultural History (Cambridge, 1997).

Cohn, B. S., 'History and Anthropology: The State of Play', Comparative Studies in Society and History, 22 (1980), 198-221

Christie, N. J, 鈥楩rom Intellectual to Cultural History: The Comparative Catalyst鈥�, Journal of History and Politics, 6 (1988-89), 79-100.

Comaroff, John and Jean, Ethnography and the Historical Imagination. Boulder, 1992.

Geertz, C., 鈥楾hick Description: Toward an Interpretative Theory of Culture鈥�, 鈥楧eep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight鈥�, in Geertz, The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays (New York, 1973), pp. 3-30, 412-53. Geertz, C., 鈥楧eep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cookfight鈥�, in ibid.,The Interpretation of Cultures (New York: Basic Books, 1973), pp. 412-453. (online: http://uwch-4.humanities.washington.edu/~WG/~DCIII/120F%20Course%20Reader/CR5_Geertz_Deep%20Play.pdf

Geertz, H., & Thomas, K. V. 鈥楢n Anthropology of Religion and Magic, I & II鈥�, Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 6 (1975), 71-109

Darnton, R. 鈥楾he Symbolic Element in History鈥�, Journal of Modern History 58 (1986): 218-234.

Handler, R., 鈥楥ultural Theory in History Today鈥�, American Historical Review 107 (2002):

Hunt, L. (ed.), The New Cultural History (Berkeley, 1989), Intro.

Hutton, P. H., 鈥楾he History of Mentalities: The New Map of Cultural History鈥�, History & Theory, 20 (1981), 237-259, & reprinted in S. Clark (ed.), The Annales School: Critical Assessments (4 vols, London, 1999), II, 381-403

Jones, C., 鈥楢 Fine 鈥淩omance鈥� with No Sisters?鈥�, French Historical Studies, 19 (1995), 277-87 (also response by L. Hunt, 鈥楻eading the French Revolution: A Reply鈥�, French Historical Studies, 19 (1995), pp. 289-98.

Lorenz, C., 鈥楽ome Afterthoughts on Culture and Explanation in Historical Inquiry鈥�, History and Theory, 39 (2000):?

LaCapra, D., 鈥業s Everyone a Mentalit茅 Case? Transference and the 鈥淐ulture鈥� Concept鈥�, History & Theory 23 (1984), 296-311, & reprinted in LaCapra, History and Criticism (Ithaca, 1980), pp. 71-94.

LaCapra, D. & Kaplan, S. L. (eds), Modern European Intellectual History: Reappraisals and New Perspectives (Ithaca, 1982).

LaCapra, D., 鈥楥hartier, Darnton, and the Great Symbol Massacre," Journal of Modern History 60, 1 (1988).

Licht, W., 鈥楥ultural History/Social History: A Review Essay鈥�, Historical Methods 25 (1992): 37-41.

Mandler, P. 鈥楾he Problem with Cultural History鈥�, Cultural and Social History 1 (2004), 94-117 [& see the replies in Cultural and Social History 1 (2004) by C. Hesse, 鈥楾he New Empiricism鈥�, 201-07; C. Jones, 鈥楶eter Mandler鈥檚 鈥淭he Problem with Cultural History, or: Is Playtime Over?鈥�, 209-15; & C. Watts, 鈥楾hinking About the X Factor, or: What鈥檚 the Cultural History of Cultural History?鈥�, 217-24; and the rejoinder in P. Mandler 鈥楶roblems in Cultural History: A Reply鈥�, Cultural and Social History (2004), 326-32

Mah, H., 鈥楽uppressing the Text: The Metaphysics of Ethnographic History in Darnton's Great Cat Massacre", History Workshop 31 (1991): 1–20.

Nussdorfer, L., 鈥楾he New Cultural History鈥�, History & Theory, 32 (1993): 74-83.

Pittock, J. H., & Wear, A. (eds), Interpretation and Cultural History (Basingstoke, 1991).

Ortner, Sherry B., The Fate of Culture: Geertz and Behond (Berkely, 1999).

Poster, M., Cultural History and Postmodernity: Disciplinary Readings and Challenges (New York, 1997).

Rabinow, 鈥楻epresentations are Social Facts: Modernity and Postmodernity in Anthropology鈥�, in J. Clifford and G. Marcus (eds.), Writing Culture: the Poetics and Politics of Writing Culture (Berkeley, 1986), pp. 234-261.

Sewell, W. '', chapter 6 of ibid., Logics of History: Social Theory and Social Transformation (Chicago, 2005), pp. 175-196.

Stewart, P. (Winter 1985–1986). 鈥楾he Great Cat Massacre and Other Episodes in French Cultural History by Robert Darnton鈥�, Eighteenth-Century Studies 19, 2, 1985-86: 260–264.

Shalins, M., 鈥業ndividual Experience and Cultural Order鈥�, in Cultural Practice: Selected Essays (New York 2000): 277-291.

Thompson, E. P., 鈥楩olklore, Anthropology and Social History鈥�, Indian Historical Review, 3 (1977), 247-66 & reprinted as a Studies in Labour History Pamphlet (1979), copy available in library.

Turner, C., Bruner, E.M., The Anthropology of Experience (Urbana, 1986).

Walton, Charles, Introduction, ibid. (ed.), Into Print. Limits and Legacies of the Enlightenment (University Park, 2011), pp. vii-xviii. (overview of Darnton's work).