Postmodernism for Historians

Description

Postmodernism is an essential approach to History.  This is the first dedicated primer on postmodernism for the historian. It offers a step-by-step guide to postmodern theory, includes a guide to how historians have applied the theory, and provides a review of why its critics are wrong. In simple and clear language, it takes the reader through the chain of theory that developed in the 20th century to become now, in the early 21st century, the leading stimulant of new forms of research in History.

With separate chapters on The Sign, The Discourse, Post/Structuralism, The Text, The Self, and Morality, this book will encourage a new critical awareness of Theory when reading books of History, and when writing essays and dissertations. Armed with the principal ideas of Saussure, Barthes, Foucault, and Derrida, the historians can formulate how to combine empirical History with the excitement of fresh perspectives and new skills, merged in the new moral impetus of the postmodern condition. Designed for the beginner this is the essential postmodern starting point.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1. Empiricism

2.  Signs

3.  Discourse

4.  Poststructuralism

5.  Text

6.  Self

7.  Morality

8. Criticism of postmodernism in history

Conclusion

Glossary

Further reading

Web links

Index

Features

• Distils postmodernist theory down to an essence of seven main themes  - The Empiricist Inheritance, The Sign, The Discourse, Post/Structuralism, The Text, The Self and Morality – each of the chapters have sections on theory and on application in history
• Provides examples of how historians have used postmodern theory in their research and writing
• Summarises anti-postmodernist criticisms and gives ways of responding to them
• Encourages a new critical awareness of theory when reading History, and when writing essays and dissertations
• Covers the principal ideas of Saussure, Barthes, Foucault, Derrida and many others
• Very student friendly boxed inserts providing brief biographies of leading theorists and quick definitions of key postmodern terms, as well as guide to further reading

Author

Callum Brown is Professor of Religious and Cultural History, University of Dundee.

His previous publications include The Death of Christian Britain (Routledge 2001) which controversially used postmodern theory to argue that Christian culture is dead in Britain, killed by cultural change from the 1960s.