De los detalles al todo: historia cultural y biografías globales

Este artículo aborda algunas de las nuevas direcciones de la historia cultural. En particular, los trabajos de algunos estudiosos que emplean una perspectiva global. Esa elección plantea algunos problemas, sobre todo los relativos a las aparentes contradicciones entre la tradicional mirada micro, que ha sido característica de la historia cultural más significativa, y la macro, en la que acostumbraba a primar el análisis económico o político. ¿Cómo analizar un individuo desde una perspectiva global? Utilizando principalmente las reflexiones de Peter Burke o Natalie Zemon Davis, el artículo expone que esa preocupación es un asunto actual, propio de una época de interconexión acelerada, que responde a nuestras necesidades culturales e intelectuales, permitiendo enriquecer y relativizar nuestras perspectivas. Asimismo, muestra que se trata de un campo emergente que se puede trabajar de distintos modos, incluso desde una perspectiva micro, con las llamadas biografías globales o la microhistoria global. Esos estudios, en realidad, ofrecen ejemplos de intensos encuentros culturales en el pasado, centrándose en los diferentes tipos de intermediarios individuales que los hicieron posibles, experimentando con vidas individuales en contextos globales, conectando las comunidades y el mundo exterior, yuxtaponiendo las perspectivas macro y micro.This article discusses some of the new directions taken by cultural history nowadays, with particular focus on the works by scholars using a global perspective. It argues that this choice of a global perspective raises several problems, especially the apparent contradictions between the traditional micro-approaches, typical of cultural history, and the macro ones often used in economic or political analyses. The question is how to deal with individuals from a global perspective. Based on reflections by Peter Burke and Natalie Zemon Davis, among others, the essay shows that this concern is an important issue today, in an increasingly interconnected era, and that it responds to our cultural and intellectual needs, enriching and relativizing our perspectives. Moreover, the text also considers that global history is an emerging field that can be practiced in several ways that include micro- perspectives, as in the so called global biographies or the global microhistory. In fact, these studies present examples of intense cultural encounters in the past, focusing on the different types of individual intermediaries that made it possible, experimenting with stories of individual lives in global contexts, connecting communities and the outside world, juxtaposing micro and macro perspectives. In other words, the life of a single individual may serve to understand the connections across cultures and groups from the perspective of the actors involved

The uses of spatial scales and the historiographical practices within Argentina: an approach exercise based on the study of social policies

En las últimas décadas, en la historiografía argentina han surgido polos de conocimiento desde el interior nacional que buscan articular alternativas a una producción académica generada en Buenos Aires. El propósito de este artículo es revisar las fortalezas y las debilidades de esas investigaciones analizando cómo construyen sus escalas espaciales de estudio. Este trabajo provee algunas respuestas preliminares a esta cuestión examinando la producción reciente dentro del campo de la historia social dedicada al estudio de las políticas sociales. El supuesto principal del trabajo es que muchos de los trabajos de este tipo suelen prestar escasa atención a la reflexión metodológica sobre sus marcos espaciales de investigación, limitando el alcance explicativo de sus trabajos y sus posibilidades de repensar el conocimiento historiográfico previo.In the past decades, new sources of knowledge from the interior of the country have emerged in the Argentine historiography, seeking to articulate alternatives to the academic production generated in Buenos Aires. The purpose of this article is to assess the strengths and weaknesses of these investigations, by analyzing how they construct their spatial scales of research. This paper provides some preliminary answers to this question, examining the recent production in the field of social history dedicated to social policies. The main assumption of this article is that these kinds of studies usually do not pay the due attention to the methodological reflection about their spatial scales of research. In that way, they reduce their explanatory scope and the possibilities of rethinking the previous historiographical knowledge.Fil: Ortiz Bergia, María José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba; Argentin

Futuro e História: análise da temporalidade atual

Ao final do século XX, a humanidade teve sua segurança na unidade e direção do conhecimento abalada. Neste contexto, desde 1970, a escrita da história se encontra em um momento crítico, e é evidente que desde então a historiografia vem perdendo terreno na sociedade. O "presentismo", efeito do colapso da ideia de futuro e da concepção linear e progressiva do tempo, exige uma nova abordagem do passado histórico, e requer uma produção de conhecimento relevante para a contemporaneidade. Informados pela filosofia e teoria da história contemporâneas, procuramos investigar qual poderia ser o papel desempenhado pela historiografia nesta estrutura emergente da temporalidade. Nesta proposta, o historiador passa a entender-se como um mediador da nossa relação com os eventos passados, formando uma ponte entre passado, presente e futuro

French prison historiography after Foucault: an approach via the works of Jacques-Guy Petit (1975-2000)

Hace cuarenta años, Vigilar y castigar marcó el comienzo de una “época dorada” de la historia de la prisión. Se estudiará la discusión que esa obra generó durante sus primeros años, tomando como objeto las principales reseñas y el debate titulado L’impossible prison. Luego, para realizar una aproximación a la historiografía posterior, se analizarán los aportes de Jacques-Guy Petit. Según algunos historiadores, la tesis doctoral de Petit adquirió un carácter de aporte “definitivo”. Teniendo en cuenta esos aspectos, se intentará responder por qué los historiadores habrían dado una mayor valoración a la obra de Petit y por qué, sin embargo, no generó nuevos trabajos, sino fue seguida de una especie de declive que derivó en un desplazamiento del tema en la agenda historiográfica francesa.Forty years ago, Discipline and Punish ushered in a “golden age” of historical studies on prison in France. This article will address the discussion on that work in its early years, by studying some of the leading reviews that were published at the time and the debate entitled L’impossible prison. Next, in order to approach the subsequent developments of prison historiography, it will examine the contributions of Jacques-Guy Petit. For some historians, Petit’s doctoral thesis acquired a character of “definitive” contribution. Considering these aspects, this paper will attempt to answer why historians have laid a greater emphasis on Petit’s work; and why, nonetheless, it did not result in new works, but was followed instead by a kind of decline that resulted in a topic shift in the French historiographical agenda.Fil: González Alvo, Luis Gabriel. Universidad Nacional de Tucuman. Facultad de Filosofia y Letras. Instituto de Investigaciones Historicas "dr. Ramon Leoni Pinto"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Falando de Virtudes e Estabelecendo Fronteiras na Historiografia Brasileira Moderna: uma leitura de Historiadores do Brasil, de Francisco Iglésias

In Historians of Brazil, Francisco Iglésias reviews some of the great names in Brazilian historiography as divided by him into three distinct moments: up to 1838, from 1838 to 1931, and from 1931 onwards. This article shall focus on the third of these moments, which has traditionally been considered the moment of the “modern Brazilian historiography”. More specifically, I would like to draw attention to Iglésias’ use of virtue and vice language to assess those historians and their works. Virtues and vices have long been used not only in moral evaluations but also in epistemic ones. Being recognized as a historian includes cultivating repertoires of virtues which are deemed to be necessary for actually being a historian. As Iglésias evaluates his predecessors, we will have a glimpse into how a particular way of being a historian – that of the university professor in the 1980s – clashes against previous models of scholarly selfhood.Em Historiadores do Brasil, Francisco Iglésias avalia alguns dos grandes nomes da historiografia brasileira, dividindo-os em três momentos distintos: o primeiro, até 1838; o segundo, de 1838 a 1931; e o terceiro, de 1931 adiante. Este artigo focará no terceiro desses momentos, o qual tem sido tratado como o momento da "historiografia brasileira moderna". Mais especificamente, gostaria de focar no uso que Iglésias faz de uma linguagem de vícios e virtudes para avaliar aqueles historiadores e seus trabalhos. Vícios e virtudes têm sido usados há muito não apenas para avaliações morais, mas também para avaliações epistêmicas. Ser reconhecido como historiador inclui cultivar repertórios de virtudes consideradas necessárias para ser, de fato, historiador. Enquanto Iglésias avalia seus predecessores, veremos como uma maneira particular de ser historiador - aquela do professor universitário dos anos de 1980 - confronta modelos anteriores de subjetividade acadêmica

Lealdade germânica nos estudos históricos do século XIX: uma virtude de múltiplas camadas

This article seeks to advance historians’ understanding of epistemic virtues in the history of historiography. Drawing on a nineteenth-century case study, it argues that virtues were often multi-layered in the sense of being charged with multiple meanings. Loyalty (Treue) is a case in point: it was, to some extent, an epistemic virtue, but simultaneously also a political virtue with conservative overtones. Loyalty served as a key concept in an idealized image that nationalistic historians and literary scholars held of the ancient Germans. Moreover, as a civic virtue, loyalty was bound up with social codes that obliged students to be loyal to their teachers – which could lead to frictions if these teachers were associated with all too pronounced views of the discipline. On this basis, the article concludes that the phrase “epistemic virtues” should be used with caution. The adjective denotes an epistemic layer of meaning which can be distinguished but never separated from social, moral, and political layers of meaning.Este artigo busca promover a compreensão dos historiadores sobre as virtudes epistêmicas na História da Historiografia. Refletindo sobre um estudo de caso do século XIX, o artigo argumenta que as virtudes frequentemente possuíam múltiplas camadas, no sentido de serem carregadas com múltiplos significados. A lealdade (Treue) é um caso em questão: ela era, em certa medida, uma virtude epistêmica, mas simultaneamente também uma virtude política com conotações conservadoras. A lealdade servia como um conceito-chave em uma imagem idealizada que historiadores nacionalistas e estudiosos da literatura mantinham dos antigos germânicos. Além disso, sendo uma virtude cívica, a lealdade estava ligada a códigos sociais que obrigavam os estudantes a serem leais com seus professores – o que poderia levar a atritos se esses professores fossem associados com as visões demasiadamente pronunciadas da disciplina. Nesse sentido, o artigo conclui que a expressão “virtudes epistêmicas” deve ser usada com cautela. O adjetivo denota uma camada epistêmica de significado, que pode ser distinguida, mas jamais separada das camadas de significado sociais, morais e políticas

Towards conflicting chronologies: a topographic insight following Reinhart Koselleck’s work

This article considers the role that spatiality played in Koselleck’s work. With that aim, we will examine how the writer dealt with the relationship between historicity and spatiality. His few theorizations regarding this topic will be taken into account, as well as different concepts relevant to his work that evoke this partnership. Through an analysis of five terms, Zeitschichten, Erfahrungsraum, Erwartungshorizont, Standortbindung, and Utopie, we will show how spatiality holds a secondary position in relation to history and how they affect Koselleck’s theory of historical times

On historical consciousness and popular pasts

This article investigates the nature of historical consciousness – conceptualizations and constructions of the past outside academic history – and the way in which this has changed in parallel with developments in historical theory in recent decades. With the increased constructivist questioning of historical narratives as somehow objectively true, academic history is seen to have lost some of its authority regarding the past. It is argued that, in becoming more aware of its nature as interpretation as well as more sensitive to its motives and consequences, history now has the potential to become more pragmatic and presentist. At the same time, some theoretical discussions have turned to the less strictly historical questions of memory and presence, thus evading the call to responsibility. By examining historical consciousness in relation to these debates, the article suggests that, in line with the liberation of the past from the constraints of academic history, historical consciousness no longer needs to be as focused on the interpretations and knowledge provided by the institution of history but can be increasingly determined by popular understandings and the needs of consumers

O Quattrocento florentino e a historiografia da arte em Aby Warburg

The work of Aby Warburg (1866-1929), dedicated above all to the great theme of the survival of the classical tradition in the European Renaissance, has gained notoriety in recent decades, including in Brazil. This article seeks an immersion in the work of this historian, circumscribing the discussion, in particular, to the thesis on Botticelli and some successive studies on the theme of the Florentine Quattrocento. We present a reading guided by an effort of contextualization, in which it is sought to identify Warburg’s main historiographical references, demonstrating his latent interlocution with the art historiography produced in the German-speaking world. In this sense, this article sustains that Warburg was clearly aligned with the tradition of “art history as cultural history”, present in the work of authors such as Jacob Burckhardt, Anton Springer and Hubert Janitschek.A obra de Aby Warburg (1866–1929), dedicada, sobretudo, ao grande tema da sobrevivência da tradição clássica no Renascimento europeu, vem ganhando notoriedade nas últimas décadas, inclusive no Brasil. Este artigo busca uma imersão na obra desse historiador, circunscrevendo-se, em especial, à tese sobre Botticelli e a alguns estudos sucessivos sobre o tema do Quattrocento florentino. Apresenta-se uma leitura orientada por um esforço de contextualização, em que se almeja identificar suas principais referências historiográficas, a demonstrar sua latente interlocução com a historiografia da arte produzida no mundo de língua alemã. Nesse sentido, sustenta-se a tese de que Warburg colocou-se nitidamente alinhado à tradição de “história da arte como história da cultura”, presente na obra de autores como Jacob Burckhardt, Anton Springer e Hubert Janitschek

Las posibilidades de ‘materialidad’ en la escritura y la lectura de la historia

In this article, I investigate the role of a particular kind of ‘materiality’ at work in the writing and reading of history. This involves examining the challenges posed to constructivist approaches to history by various post-linguistic-turn claims about presence and experience as well as by so-called post-narrativism. The core focus will be on outlining an argument for updating ‘narrativist’ or constructivist theory of history to deal with these recent concerns. This requires directing more attention to the relations between author, text, and reader, particularly concerning the key issues of reality, embodiment, and immersion. To demonstrate the value of approaching these relations in terms of ‘materiality,’ I consider three questions aimed at illuminating the balancing act between referentiality and invention performed in history writing as a genre: How can language ‘embody’ reality? How do referential texts encode reality? And, how could we read referential texts specifically with respect to reality?En este artículo investigo el rol de una clase particular de ‘materialidad’ que opera en la escritura y la lectura de la historia. Esto implica examinar los desafíos planteados a los enfoques constructivistas de la historia tanto por los argumentos del giro post-lingüístico sobre la presencia y la experiencia como por el denomindado post-narrativismo. El foco central será presentar un argumento para actualizar la teoría de la historia ‘narrativista’ o constructivista a fin de que esta pueda lidiar con esas preocupaciones recientes. Esto requiere dedicar mayor atención a las relaciones entre autor, texto y lector, particularmente respecto de los asuntos clave relativos a la realidad, la corporalidad (embodiment) y la inmersión. Para mostrar la utilidad del acercamiento a esas relaciones en términos de ‘materialidad’, considero tres preguntas que apuntan a iluminar el acto de equilibrarentre referencialidad e invención performado en la escritura de la historia como género: ¿cómo puede el lenguaje ‘corporizar’ (embody) la realidad? ¿Cómo pueden los textos referenciales codificar la realidad? Y ¿cómo podríamos leer los textos referenciales, específicamente con respecto a la realidad