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Theory II Summary
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Summary of Theory II course including lectures notes and images. Inclusion of readings and concepts discussed during seminars.
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Theory IIHistory of World History
Lecture 1
Book: A Concise history of history. Global historiography from Antiquity to the present.
Lecture 1
1. Introduction
– What is history of history?
• relation to historical practice
• the four questions
• the concept of time/space (we cover a lot of centuries, so the unity is
the concept of time. If you want to understand a historical culture
start with understanding their conception of time and space)
– What is world history?
– What is the history of world history?
2. Application: Greek historiography.
What is history of history?
• History 1: History (W3), a parte obiecti, the historical process = series of events.
(history 1 is an invention of the 19th century, which the lecturer doubts)
• History 2: history (W3) or a parte subiecti, historical thinking/writing, (sometimes
also historiography!!- not how we use the term historiography In this class)
• Historiography proper: the history of how history has been written, spoken or
thought about over several millenia and cultures (W3)
Historical culture
• The wider set of form of engaments with the past (W3). (so we engage in the past
through these examples for example)
– Memory
– Trauma
– Identity (own, national, transnational identity)
– Practical (use the past to make arguments for the past)
– Entertainment
– Historical experience (“feel” the past)
– Knowledge (as we are now)
• AKA the historical discipline from 19th century!
Why historiography?
Argument from practice: historical practice (= historical research and writing) itself is a part
of history, it is an activity with real effects, making a difference in history.
, For us historical practise is not just the writing about history, but the writing itself is
part of the history.
The writings have effect, an impact in society.
The function of those works in society
If historians want to make a difference in historical reality, they must know their own
place in history and in historiography.
Concretely: if you want to ask sharp questions which also make a practical difference, you
must know your own place as a historian in history = you must know the questions of
previous historians. What did they ask and answer and how do we relate to them a by our
new question
Why world history?
Argument from particularity and universality: Leibniz ‘a grain of sand reflects the whole
universe’
Implication 1: every particular history, presupposes all of history ((history is in you, you are
the grain of sand and history is in you the argument from immanence, history is
immanent in all of us)
Implication 2: the whole universe reflects the grain of sand. (you reflect the whole universe)
Conclusion: universal history comprises all particular histories. AND vice versa
Ex. Harari Sapiens and Homo Deus.
Writers world history based on particular history
Danger: endless regress
universalism = know nothing of all
particularism = know all of nothing
thus need for balance!
World history in this course.
Perspective: world = reality developing in time
World history = the way in which humans try to understand their world as it develops in
time. (Herodatus analysis his own world and how it is developing in time)
If you understand how these people constructed their histories according to their time
conceptions you will understand how they thought.
History of world history = the history about the ways humans tried to understand their
reality or world as it developed in time.
, Ad ‘tried’ = principle of fallibilism : there is no God’s eye view, so no one can understand all
of reality - all answers are provisional, or hypothetical and fallible new questions can
always be asked.
Who am I? Presupposes a history, a precondition that there is history to who you are)
The practice of historiography: ‘History is a discussion without and end’
Peter Geijl: Napoleon voor en tegen: compared Hitler to Napoleon
Never an end to discussion, not scientific never a definitive answer.
• History is a debate about real issues, leading to questions which historians try to
answers by claims supported by arguments and based on presuppositions.
• Ad debate: so for and against pro/contra
• Ad questions: looking at issues, historians raise questions.
• Ad claim = the answer to a question.
• Ad question: every question has a presupposition.
• Theory Is the study of the presupposition of questions and answers. Answers and
then go back to question and then look at what the presuppose.
• The most important presupposition is ‘time’ – how does the historian perceive of
time.
Why theory?
Theory is the study of presuppositions (the underlying concepts of historical practice)
• NB historiography is not theory! That is what we offer you!
Theory: the four questions
What is history?
Transcendental assumption: ‘history’ is a transcendental concept i.e. a necessary
presupposition of the human mind i.e. humans have always thought historically in the sense
of making order in time.
Collingwood: 4 characteristics of history, as answers to questions you can ask of all
historiography.
4 characteristics
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