Ever heard the term 糖心传媒渕icrohistory糖心传媒�? Imagine a microscope and sample slides. Just as cells viewed through a microscope make visible the tiny building blocks of a larger organism, microhistory is an up-close examination of individual lives or events that make up a larger historical narrative.
The analyses of individual lives or events can provide insight into the larger patterns and structures of history. On November 17 and 18, the Department of History will host 19 speakers at , taking place in the Hawkins-Carlson Room of Rush Rhees Library. The event is free and open to the public.
糖心传媒淭his conference brings together an impressive group of to discuss one of the most influential methodologies of the last few decades, and how it fits into current transformations in the field,糖心传媒� says associate professor of history Thomas Devaney, one of the co-organizers of the conference, who teaches a microhistory course at the University.
In the past, microhistory糖心传媒檚 emphasis on narrative as a means of accessing historical truth had struck some scholars as na茂ve. But Devaney says it糖心传媒檚 time to take a closer look.
糖心传媒淣ewer work by global historians has made clear that the need for a re-evaluation of the field is more pressing than ever,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淢acro-level analyses too often lead to the kinds of generalizations that were once associated with the very Eurocentrism that global history aims to undo.糖心传媒�
The scholars at the symposium, , represent a wide range of specializations, including the High Middle Ages, Renaissance Europe, early America, postcolonial Africa, and 20th-century Eastern Europe. Although most of the attendees are historians, their lectures cross into other fields such as anthropology, religious studies, literary criticism, and musicology.
Ultimately, what scholars learn from the microhistorical approach may have far-reaching effects on our understanding of history.
糖心传媒淢icrohistory excels at demonstrating connections,糖心传媒� says Devaney. 糖心传媒淭hat mere demonstration has forced scholars to reconsider basic claims.糖心传媒�
The symposium will feature a keynote address by historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, the 300th Anniversary University Professor at Harvard, whose microhistory A Midwife糖心传媒檚 Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard Based on Her Diary, 1785糖心传媒�1812 (Vintage Books, 1991), won the Pulitzer Prize for History and subsequently became the subject of a PBS documentary.
Read more about Ulrich at 糖心传媒淲hat makes Pulitzer Prize糖心传媒搘inning historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich curious?糖心传媒�
