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This lecture and seminar is designed to introduce students to a module that is heavily theory focused and (to put it bluntly) involves reading a lot of very challenging historiographical and theoretical works. It asks the question what is theory and why should historians care about it? Does history writing contributes to our identity as individuals and citizens? How does theory relate to our 'lived experience' and political and social practice? How can theory help us to better understand the world we live right now? Is history writing simply about 'the past? Do we have an identity without referring to 'a past'?

Students are asked to think about the classroom, the University and academia in general as spaces in which theory and (in our case) historical knowledge are produced. How is theory (and the history that it produced by it) shaped by historians own 'lived experience'? If history writing is also about the 'lived experience of the historian, can it ever be objective? What do you think are the themes that history writing today is embracing and needs to embrace in the future?

Core Readings:

Stefan Berger, History and Identity (2022), read Introduction (e-book library).

Edward H. Carr, What is History (1966), read chapter 1: The Historian and His Facts

Ludmilla Jordanova, History in Practice (2019), read Introduction and chapter 2.

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Further Readings:

Chakrabarty, Dipesh, Provincializing Europe Postcolonial Thought and Historical Difference (2000).

Eagleton,Terry, The Significance of Theory (1994).

Eagleton,Terry, After Theory (2003).

A Global History of Modern Historiography, ed. by Georg G. Iggers; Supriya Mukherjee; Q. Edward Wang (2017).

Hall, Stuart, 'In Defence of Theory', in Raphael Samuel (ed.), People's History and Socialist Theory (1981).

Maza, Sarah, Thinking about History (2017).

New Directions in Social and Cultural History, ed. by Sasha Handley; Rohan McWilliam; Lucy Noakes (2018).

Thompson, E.P., The Poverty of Theory and Other Essays (1978).

Samuel, Raphael, 'History and Theory', in Raphael Samuel (ed.), People's History and Socialist Theory (1981).

A Practical Guide to ¹û¶³´«Ã½ing History: Skills and Approaches, ed. by Tracey Loughran

Writing History: Theory and Practice, ed. by Stefan Berger; Heiko Feldner; Kevin Passmore, 3rd. ed. (2020

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Seminar/Essay Questions:

• Have you encountered or used theory in your history writing or studies in the past? If so which theoretical approaches have you found most useful to understand the past?

• “¹û¶³´«Ã½ the historian before you begin to study the facts.' (Edward Hallet Carr, What is History, 1966)

• 'Theory helps to see things differently, to look at the world differently. It is a way to intervene and challenge the status quo.' Discuss.
• 'History is about the understanding of the present -- not the past'. Discuss.
• Is it possible to write history without a theoretical angle?
• 'History writing is fundamental to the making of of individual and collective identity'. (Stefan Berger, History and Identity, 2022) Discuss.

  'History consists of a corpus ascertained facts. The facts are available to the historian in documents, inscriptions and so on, like fish in the fishmonger's slab. The historian collects them, takes them home, and cooks and serves them in whatever style appeals to him.' (Edward H. Carr, 'What is History?, 1966).