Practicing History: New Directions in Historical Writing after the Linguistic Turn (Rewriting Histories)

This essential collection of key articles offers a re-evaluation of the practice of history in light of current debates. Critical thinkers and practicing historians present their writings, along with clear and thorough editorial material, to examine the complex ideas at the forefront of historical practice. This volume gives a synoptic overview of the last twenty-five years’ theoretical analysis of historical writing, with a critical examination of the central concepts and positions that have been in debate. The collection delineates the emergence of ''practice theory'' as a possible paradigm for future historical interpretation concerned with questions of agency, experience and the subject. These complex ideas are introduced to students in this accessible reader, and for teachers and historians too, this survey is an indispensable and timely read. BOOK COVER......Page 1 HALF-TITLE......Page 2 TITLE......Page 5 COPYRIGHT......Page 6 CONTENTS......Page 7 CONTRIBUTORS......Page 9 SERIES EDITOR’S PREFACE......Page 13 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 16 INTRODUCTION......Page 17 Background......Page 18 History and semiotics......Page 21 The cultural turn......Page 23 The revisionist critique......Page 25 Discourse......Page 26 Self, subjectivity, and agency......Page 27 Experience and practice......Page 33 Practicing history/theorizing practice......Page 38 NOTES......Page 41 Part I DISCOURSE AND THE PROBLEM OF SOCIAL HISTORY......Page 48 1 IS ALL THE WORLD A TEXT? FROM SOCIAL HISTORY TO THE HISTORY OF SOCIETY TWO DECADES LATER......Page 49 In the beginning......Page 50 The current landscape......Page 52 All the world’s a text......Page 55 Turning to history......Page 61 Conclusion......Page 66 NOTES......Page 68 REFERENCES......Page 72 2 THE DETERMINIST FIX......Page 78 NOTES......Page 89 3 THE CONCEPT(S) OF CULTURE......Page 92 What do we mean by culture?......Page 95 Culture as a category of social life......Page 96 Culture as system and practice......Page 100 The autonomy of culture......Page 101 Cultures as distinct worlds of meaning......Page 104 How coherence is possible......Page 107 NOTES......Page 109 Part II SELF AND AGENCY......Page 112 The Discursive Condition......Page 113 Anthematic subjectivity in the Discursive Condition......Page 116 Political practice in the discursive condition......Page 119 NOTES......Page 123 5 INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE AND CULTURAL ORDER......Page 125 Utilitarian individualism and cultural determinism......Page 126 Intention and convention......Page 128 Dialectics of structure and action......Page 130 NOTE......Page 134 6 THE CONSTITUTION OF SOCIETY: OUTLINE OF THE THEORY OF STRUCTURATION......Page 135 The agent, agency......Page 139 Agency and power......Page 141 Structure, structuration......Page 143 The duality of structure......Page 149 Forms of institution......Page 150 A reiteration of basic concepts15......Page 153 NOTES......Page 156 7 A THEORY OF STRUCTURE......Page 157 The duality of structure: a critique and reformulation of Giddens’s theory......Page 159 What is structure?......Page 160 Structures as rules......Page 161 Structures as resources......Page 163 Structures as schemas and resources......Page 164 The duality of schemas and resources......Page 166 Duality and stasis......Page 167 Why structural change is possible......Page 168 Agency......Page 172 Varieties of structures......Page 173 NOTES......Page 176 REFERENCES......Page 177 8 HOW TO BE AN INTENTIONALIST......Page 179 Outside the text......Page 180 Beliefs as intentional states......Page 183 Some answers......Page 185 NOTES......Page 187 Part III EXPERIENCE AND PRACTICE......Page 189 9 OUTLINE OF THE THEORY OF PRACTICE......Page 190 Structures, habitus and practices......Page 193 The dialectic of objectification and embodiment......Page 200 NOTES......Page 207 10 THE EVIDENCE OF EXPERIENCE......Page 211 Becoming visible......Page 212 The authority of experience......Page 216 Historicizing “experience”......Page 222 Conclusion......Page 224 NOTES......Page 226 11 THE PRACTICE OF EVERYDAY LIFE......Page 229 Use, or consumption......Page 230 Strategies and tactics......Page 233 The rhetorics of practice, ancient ruses......Page 236 NOTES......Page 238 12 LANGUAGE AND THE SHIFT FROM SIGNS TO PRACTICES IN CULTURAL INQUIRY......Page 240 The formalizing premise......Page 241 The essentializing premise......Page 243 The turn in method......Page 245 The incomplete premises of the model of culture as a sign system......Page 247 The counter-proposals of culture in practice......Page 251 NOTES......Page 253 13 TOWARD A THEORY OF SOCIAL PRACTICES......Page 257 Practice theory as cultural theory......Page 259 Four versions of cultural theory: mentalism, textualism, intersubjectivism, practice theory......Page 261 Body......Page 264 Mind......Page 265 Things......Page 266 Knowledge......Page 267 Discourse/Language......Page 268 The agent/Individual......Page 269 The effects of practice theory......Page 270 NOTES......Page 272 REFERENCES......Page 274 General readings......Page 276 Discourse/Social and cultural history......Page 277 Experience and practice......Page 279 INDEX......Page 281 "Gabrielle Spiegel presents an essential new collection of key articles that examine the current status of the debate over the 'linguistic turn', and attempt to rethink the practice of history in light of its implications. These are writings that operate within the framework of the linguistic turn, yet seek to move beyond its initial formulation and reception. The volume offers a synoptic overview of the last twenty-five years of theoretical analysis of historical writing, with a critical examination of the key concepts and positions that have been in debate. This collection delineates the emergence of a new 'practice theory' as a possible paradigm for future historical interpretation concerned with questions of agency, experience and the subject. Articles drawn from a mix of critical thinkers and practicing historians are drawn together along with clear and thorough editorial material. Complex ideas at the forefront of historical practice are revealed and made accessible to students, while for their teachers and other historians this new survey is an indispensable and timely read"--Provided by publisher.

Gabrielle Spiegel presents an essential new collection of key articles that examine the current status of the debate over the "linguistic turn" and attempt to rethink the practice of history in light of its implications. These are writings that operate within the framework of the linguistic turn, yet seek to move beyond its initial formulation and reception.

The volume offers a synoptic overview of the last twenty-five years of theoretical analysis of historical writing, with a critical examination of the key concepts and positions that have been in debate. The collection delineates the emergence of "practice theory" as a possible paradigm for future historical interpretation concerned with questions of agency, experience and the subject.

Articles drawn from a mix of critical thinkers and practicing historians are drawn together along with clear and thorough editorial material. Complex ideas at the forefront of historical practice are revealed and made accessible to students, while for their teachers and other historians this new survey is an indispensable and timely read.

This essential new collection of key articles from critical thinkers and practicing historians focuses on where history is now in terms of its theory and practice. For students, teachers and historians alike, this is an indispensable reader.