A New Philosophy of History

‘What is history?’ From Thucydides to Toynbee, historians and non-historians alike have wondered how to answer this question. A New Philosophy of History reflects on developments over the last two decades in historical writing, not least the renewed interest in the status of narrative itself and the presence of the authorial ‘voice’. Subjects include the problems of Grand Narrative, multiple voices and the personal presence of the historian in his text, the ambitions of the French Annales school and the so-called ‘Grand Chronicler’, and the relevance of non-literary models – museum presentations and picturings – regarding historical discourse. The range of approaches to be found in A New Philosophy of History ensures that this book will establish itself as required reading not only for historians, but for everyone interested in literary theory, philosophy or cultural studies.

With essays by Nancy F. Partner, Richard T. Vann, Arthur C. Danto, Linda Orr, Philipagese Carrard, Ann Rigney, Allan Megill, Robert F. Berkhofer, Stephen Bann and Frank Ankersmit.