Theory of History
Code
711051078
Academic unit
Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas
Department
História
Credits
6
Teacher in charge
José Neves
Weekly hours
4
Teaching language
Portuguese
Objectives
The main objectives are: a) getting to know the history of the most relevant historiographical trend; b) acquiring knowledge
that will allow the student to develop future research on historiography and the theories of history. In order to come to
terms with these, we will: a) inform students of the state of the art in the field of theory of history; b) focus on the major
changes that occurred in the last three decades; c) analyse the fundamental bibliography on the issue, exploring the
conceptual framework specific to the theory of history.
Prerequisites
None.
Subject matter
1. Introduction to the major áreas and questions concerning the theory of history
1.1. the hisotoriographical legacy of the 19th century
1.2. the historiographical renewals from the 1930´s to the 1970s: annals, marxisms and other trends
2. Historigoraphical dynamics since the 1970s
2.1. The problem of thruth and the history of science
2.2. The implications of post-modernism and the linguistic turn
2.3. the historical writing
3. Todays debates
3.1. National histories and global history
3.2. Economic histroy and the problematization of the idea of development
3.3. The new history, mentalities and cultural history
3.4. Political history and the problematization of the idea of power
3.5. Micro-history, oral history and social history
Bibliography
BERGER, Stefan (org.), Writing the Nation a Global Perspective, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
BURKE, Peter (org.), History and Historians in the Twentieth-Century, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2003.
CATROGA, Fernando, Memória, História e Historiografia, Coimbra, Editorial Quarteto, 2001.
JENKINS, Keith (org.), The Postmodern History Reader, Londres e Nova Iorque, Routledge, 1997.
KOSELLECK, Reinhart, The Practice of Conceptual History Timing History, Spacing Concepts, Stanford, Stanford
University Press, 2002.
RUSEN, Jorn (org.), Western Historical Thinking: an Intercultural Debate, Nova York, Berghahn Books, 2002.
SANCHES, Manuela Ribeiro (org.), Deslocalizar a Europa Antropologia, Literatura, Arte e História na Pós-Colonialidade,
Lisboa, Cotovia, 2005.
TURNER, Bryan (org.), Teoria Social, Lisboa, Difel, 2002.
WHITE, Hayden, Metahistory The Historical Imagination in Nineteenth-Century Europe, Londres, John Hopkins, 1973.
Teaching method
Theoretical and practical classes, including the analyses and discussion of data and historical documents, the presentation
and discussion of the research activities that will later be evaluated.
Evaluation method
The evaluation consists of: one written test (45%); one
written essay (45%); the presentation of one historical document (10%).