In the 20th century, historians began arguing for new ways of doing
history. This "new history" movement called for a total history open
to exploring every human activity. Instead of concentrating on the great
deeds of statesmen and generals, new history considered the views and
experiences of ordinary people. Instead of limiting themselves to
official documents, new historians examined a greater variety of
evidence, collaborating with sociologists, anthropologists, economists,
linguists, and psychologists. Instead of traditional narratives, new
history examined structures. Instead of claiming objective truth, new
history acknowledged the prejudices associated with color, creed, class
or gender.
In this newly revised and updated edition of The French Historical
Revolution, renowned cultural historian Peter Burke provides a critical
history of this movement most associated with the French journal
Annales, from its foundation in 1929 to the present. From founding
historians Lucien Febvre and Marc Bloch through the "new history"
movement's best-known champions Jacques Le Goff and Fernand Braudel to
current practitioners Roger Chartier and Serge Gruzinski, Burke traces
and analyzes the contributions of one of the most important historical
movements of the last century.