Burke: History and Social Theory

- Three central problems of intellectual conflicts common to social sciences:

--Understanding human action

- how individuals/groups make decisions, interact, and respond to social structures
- marks the tension between agency and structure

--Explaining social change

- seeks to explain processes through which societies evolve (economic development,
political revolutions, cultural shifts, technological advancements...)
- what is the driving force? economic factors? cultural/political dynamics? role of
individual or institution?

--Interpreting social diversity

- comprehension of a wide range of human experiences, beliefs, practices,
identities...
- how to categorize and analyze this diversity? cultural relativism? universalism?
essentialism? constructivism?
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MICROHISTORY
- Purpose of the microhistorical approach: to delve into the history of everyday
life and uncover the experiences and perspectives of individuals
- focuses on specific individuals or small communities
- aims at providing a nuanced understanding of historical events and social
dynamics
- excludes itself from conventional social theory methods by their emphasis on
granular details and specific cases
- zooms on individual stories

- criticism on microhistory: their focus on specific cases may lead to

generalisations that are not always applicable to broader historical contexts
- microhistorians may overlook the larger forces that shape historical events
because of oversubjectivity and selectivity

- The cheese and the worms

- Ginzburg's utilisation of microhistorical methods for 16th cen. Menocchio town
should be examined.
- Ginzburg examines the beliefs and worldview of an ordinary individual to shed
lights on broader cultural and religious transformations of the time.
- Iggers on the other hand, provides a framework for understanding the shift from
macrohistory to microhistory
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PROBLEMS WITH TRADITIONAL/SCIENTIFIC/POSITIVIST HISTORY WRITING

1. Linear and Eurocentric perspective (negligence of the accounts out of European

concept)
2. Emphasis on objectivity (exclusion of subjective experiences, marginalised
voices, and alternative narratives)
3. Neglect of social context (overlooking social, cultural, and everyday life
aspects and puts political and military events forward only)
4. Overreliance on written records (negligence of oral traditions, material
culture...)

Postmodern approach suggests:

1. Emphasizing multiple narratives (paves the way for diversity)
2. Critical engagement with sources (questioning the biases, omissions,
limitations...)
3. Interdisciplinary approach (history should draw on methodologies and theories
from other disciplines such as anthropology and sociology)
4. Acknowledgement of complexity and uncertainty (contemprorary historians embrace
the complexities and gaps/uncertainties of historical accounts

- Norton and Donnelly..

... explore alternative perspectives
... engage with popular history
... address power dynamics

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CULTURAL HISTORY

- Culture can be defined as the beliefs, customs, arts, etc. of a particular

society, group, place, or time.
- Annales: Fernand Braudel and Bloch emphasized the importance of studying long-
term historical structures, influence of geography, and the environment on shaping
cultures
- Marxists: Marx delved into the role of economic structures and class
relationships inshaping cultural norms and practices

- the major bodies of theory/disciplines that contributed to the study of emotions,

symbols, and mentalities of past people includes...
... anthropology (studies the beliefs, rituals, practices of different cultures)
... sociology (examines how social structues influence cultural expressions)
... psychology (these type of theories help in grasping emotional responses and
mental processes related to culture)
... semiotics (study of symbols and signs and their interpretation in cultures)

- The Great Cat Massacre

- apprentices in 18th cen. France decided to mockingly replicate a town ceremony by
having a mock trial and executing cats.
- cats were seen as symbolic representations of various societal anxieties,
superstitions, and conflicts
- mock trial and massacre of cats were a way for the apprentices to express their
frustrations and assert their agency where they were marginalised.