What is the use of social theory to historians, and of history to
social theorists? In clear and energetic prose, a pre-eminent
cultural historian here offers a far-reaching response to these
deceptively simple questions. In this classic text, now revised and
updated in its second edition, Peter Burke reviews afresh the
relationship between the fields of history and the social sciences
and their tentative convergence in recent decades.
Burke first examines what uses histori...
What is the use of social theory to historians, and of history to
social theorists? In clear and energetic prose, a pre-eminent
cultural historian here offers a far-reaching response to these
deceptively simple questions. In this classic text, now revised and
updated in its second edition, Peter Burke reviews afresh the
relationship between the fields of history and the social sciences
and their tentative convergence in recent decades.
Burke first examines what uses historians have made – or might
make – of the models, methods, and concepts of the social sciences,
and then analyzes some of the intellectual conflicts, such as the
opposition between structure and human agency, which are at the
heart of the tension between history and social theory. Throughout,
he draws from a broad range of cultures and periods to illustrate
how history, in turn, has been used to create and validate social
theories. This new edition brings the book up to date with the
addition of examples and discussions of new topics such as social
capital, globalization and post-colonialism.
The second edition of History and Social Theory will continue to
stimulate both students and scholars across a range of disciplines
with its challenging assessment of the roles of history and social
science today.