Histories

7 pages, 218 KiB

Open AccessArticle

by Rens Bod

Histories 2022, 2(2), 178-184; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories2020014 - 17 Jun 2022

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This paper provides an introduction to the burgeoning field of the “history of the humanities”. It discusses the scope, goals, and challenges of this new discipline. While histories of separate humanities disciplines have been written since the early twentieth century, it is only [...] Read more.

This paper provides an introduction to the burgeoning field of the “history of the humanities”. It discusses the scope, goals, and challenges of this new discipline. While histories of separate humanities disciplines have been written since the early twentieth century, it is only over the last decade or so that we have witnessed works that ask the question: how do these separate histories fit together to form the history of the humanities? After an introduction to the origins and the development of the new discipline, we question why the history of the humanities emerged so late, especially compared to the history of science. We make a case for a comprehensive history of the humanities, and we discuss several problems and challenges for the field, i.e., the problems of eurocentrism and triumphalism, and the challenges of the global, comparative, polycentric, and multidisciplinary histories of the humanities. The paper concludes with a discussion about the future of the field, arguing that it should be opened up to the history of the non-academic humanities as well as the colonial humanities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue (New) Histories of Science, in and beyond Modern Europe)

8 pages, 234 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Digital Perspectives in History

by Anna Siebold and Matteo Valleriani

Histories 2022, 2(2), 170-177; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories2020013 - 04 Jun 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2792

Abstract

This article outlines the state of digital perspectives in historical research, some of the methods and tools in use by digital historians, and the possible or even necessary steps in the future development of the digital approach. We begin by describing three main [...] Read more.

This article outlines the state of digital perspectives in historical research, some of the methods and tools in use by digital historians, and the possible or even necessary steps in the future development of the digital approach. We begin by describing three main computational approaches: digital databases and repositories, network analysis, and Machine Learning. We also address data models and ontologies in the larger context of the demand for sustainability and linked research data. The section is followed by a discussion of the (much needed) standards and policies concerning data quality and transparency. We conclude with a consideration of future scenarios and challenges for computational research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue (New) Histories of Science, in and beyond Modern Europe)

13 pages, 3023 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Methodological Approach to the Study of Arabic Inscriptions in Castilian-Aragonese Kingdoms

by Julie Marquer

Histories 2022, 2(2), 157-169; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories2020012 - 31 May 2022

Viewed by 1950

Abstract

Re-using Arabic inscriptions on the objects and monuments of the medieval Hispanic kingdoms (11th–15th centuries) bears witness to the valorization, selection, and reinterpretation of the al-Andalus heritage by the Christians. The aim of this article is to propose a methodological approach for a [...] Read more.

Re-using Arabic inscriptions on the objects and monuments of the medieval Hispanic kingdoms (11th–15th centuries) bears witness to the valorization, selection, and reinterpretation of the al-Andalus heritage by the Christians. The aim of this article is to propose a methodological approach for a global study of these inscriptions, which will be based on the constitution of an exhaustive corpus on the scale of the peninsula. This will allow us to have an overview of these inscriptions, to identify a typology and the different stages of their evolution. Then, a comparison with the inscriptions of al-Andalus will highlight the heritage of the various traditions and the dynamics resulting from this appropriation. Finally, a focus on the actors as well as the different historical circumstances of the epigraphic production will lead to a better understanding of their symbolic value and the complex intention behind certain inscriptions. It will also help to better understand the mechanisms of their reception, in line with a reflection on the role and status of ornamental writing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Revisiting the Legacy of Al-Andalus)

11 pages, 297 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Towards a Negative History of Science: The Unknown, Errors, Ignorance, and the “Pseudosciences”

by Lukas Rathjen and Jonas Stähelin

Histories 2022, 2(2), 146-156; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories2020011 - 20 May 2022

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Abstract

This article outlines elements of a negative history of science. For historians wishing to get a fuller picture of scientific practice both internally and externally, there is a lot to be gained by considering the dialectical constitution of scientific knowledge. To fully comprehend [...] Read more.

This article outlines elements of a negative history of science. For historians wishing to get a fuller picture of scientific practice both internally and externally, there is a lot to be gained by considering the dialectical constitution of scientific knowledge. To fully comprehend this relationality, historians should, therefore, trace the negative relations science maintains. Through oppositions, such as known/unknown; success/error; consideration/ignorance; and inclusion/exclusion, scientific knowledge emerges and disappears, and the social position of scientific practice is both established and contested. To exemplify our argument, we present four areas: the unknown, errors, ignorance, and the “pseudosciences”. Taken together, this approach allows us to understand how science constitutes itself epistemically and socially across different locations and historical periods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue (New) Histories of Science, in and beyond Modern Europe)

34 pages, 7415 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Newly Discovered Ethnocultural Substrate along the Atlantic Façade—Evidence for the Unique Counting System and Mathematical Strategies Shared by the Basque Country (Euskal Herria), Spain, France, Ireland and Scotland

by Roslyn M. Frank

Histories 2022, 2(2), 112-145; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories2020010 - 29 Apr 2022

Viewed by 2546

Abstract

Until now, the pre-decimal metric units of linear measure employed traditionally in the Basque Country have not been compared to similar ones documented for Celtic-speaking zones of the Atlantic façade. These base units are distinctive in that they are septenary in nature, consisting [...] Read more.

Until now, the pre-decimal metric units of linear measure employed traditionally in the Basque Country have not been compared to similar ones documented for Celtic-speaking zones of the Atlantic façade. These base units are distinctive in that they are septenary in nature, consisting of units of seven and its multiples. In this study, the remarkable similarities that characterize these traditional linear measures are analyzed and subjected to scrutiny. The investigation also examines the mathematical strategies that were involved in laying out land holdings. The measuring devices traditionally employed are also discussed, as well as the ways in which the septenary units acted to structure sociocultural, political and administrative practices. The implications that can be drawn from the wide geographical reach of the system are explored, along with the time-depth that should be assigned to the system as a whole. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Cultural History)

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21 pages, 598 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Needle in a Haystack: Looking for an Early Modern Peasant Who Travelled from Spain to America

by Sarah Albiez-Wieck and Raquel Gil Montero

Histories 2022, 2(2), 91-111; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories2020009 - 08 Apr 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2906

Abstract

Seventeenth-century travel accounts written by ordinary people are a rarity. In this article, we analyze the unusual travel report by Gregorio de Robles, a Castilian peasant (labrador) who travelled several European empires in Western Europe and America at the end of [...] Read more.

Seventeenth-century travel accounts written by ordinary people are a rarity. In this article, we analyze the unusual travel report by Gregorio de Robles, a Castilian peasant (labrador) who travelled several European empires in Western Europe and America at the end of the seventeenth and the beginning of the eighteenth centuries. The approach we offer is that of a global microhistory. The aim of this article is mainly methodological: we try to delineate the methodological steps we had to undertake to trace Robles in the sources. Looking for an early modern peasant traveler is comparable to searching for a needle in a haystack, but we argue that this endeavor is worthwhile because Robles offers a unique perspective on how ordinary people traveled in early modern times and on imperial frontier zones. We show that his convivial ties and the places he mentions were key elements in the methodology. Full article

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11 pages, 268 KiB

Open AccessArticle

History as Philosophy: The Search for Meaning

by Brett Bowden

Histories 2022, 2(2), 80-90; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories2020008 - 08 Apr 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2938

Abstract

One of the reasons for our interest in the past, or history, is our concern for the future, including the future of our planet and its many and varied inhabitants. It has been suggested that “historians are particularly suited” to exploring and teaching [...] Read more.

One of the reasons for our interest in the past, or history, is our concern for the future, including the future of our planet and its many and varied inhabitants. It has been suggested that “historians are particularly suited” to exploring and teaching about the future. This suggestion recalls earlier ideas of philosophical approaches to the study of history that sought to find patterns or purpose in history. These approaches are associated with ideas of progress and teleological accounts of history more generally. The underlying philosophical approach to history is a broader search for meaning. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Frontiers in History)

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Histories, Volume 2, Issue 2 (June 2022) – 7 articles

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