The Rise of Comparative History

Published by Central European University Press 2021

The Rise of Comparative History

Edited by: Balázs Trencsényi , Constantin Iordachi and Péter Apor

https://doi.org/10.1515/9789633863626

Overview
Contents

About this book

This book—the first of a three-volume overview of comparative and transnational historiography in Europe—focuses on the complex engagement of various comparative methodological approaches with different transnational and supranational frameworks. It considers scales from universal history to meso-regional (i.e. Balkans, Central Europe, etc.) perspectives. In the form of a reader, it displays 18 historical studies written between 1900 and 1943. The collection starts with the French and German methodological discussions around the turn of the twentieth century, stemming from the effort to integrate history with other emerging social sciences on a comparative methodological basis. The volume then turns to the question of structural and institutional comparisons, revisiting various historiographical ventures that tried to sketch out a broader (regional or European-level) interpretative framework to assess the legal systems, patterns of agrarian production, and the common ethnographic and sociocultural features.

In the third part, a number of texts are presented, which put forward a supra-national research framework as an antidote to national exclusivism. While in Western Europe the most obvious such framework was pan-European, in East Central Europe the agenda of comparison was linked usually to a meso-regional framework.

The studies are accompanied by short contextual introductions including biographical information on the respective authors.

Author / Editor information

Trencsényi Balázs :

Balázs Trencsényi is a Professor at the History Department of Central European University.

Iordachi Constantin :

Constantin Iordachi is a Professor at the History Department of Central European University and President of the International Association for Comparative Fascist Studies.

Apor Péter :

Péter Apor is permanent research fellow at the Institute of History, Humanities Research Center, Budapest.

Reviews

Corinne Geering:
"The 18 texts and the excellent overview in the introduction provide a range of fascinating angles for further reflection on comparative methods in historical studies. The emphasis on cross-disciplinary approaches is one of the major strengths of this volume, which will appeal not only to historians but also to scholars in other fields. The accessibility of key readings in English gives reason to hope for greater engagement with these intellectual traditions in the overarching fields of historical enquiry." https://www.comparativ.net/v2/issue/view/172

John R. Lampe:
“This volume’s introduction is a masterful history of comparative history that should be required reading on the subject. Selected readings are in three sections. The first introduces the reader to the canonical West European scholars and works before and after the First World War. The other two introduce their East Central European contemporaries. Focusing on their divided region, their discipline paid greater attention to comparative history. Their debates on institutional structure reveal a growing distinction between Eastern and Western Europe replacing the earlier North-South division. Then we see interwar scholars already searching for a transnational framework to overcome the divisive national narratives stirred again by the wars of Yugoslavia’s dissolution.”

Stefan Berger:
“Because of its manifold internal and external entanglements, the comparative history of East Central Europe presents a particularly fiendish challenge for historians. The strong analytical and methodological bent of this volume will make it an insightful read not only for specialists of this region, but for all those interested in exploring the benefits and pitfalls of comparative history.”

Arnd Bauerkämper:
“This book contains key texts on the comparative approaches to the history of East Central Europe. Transcending the national paradigm and highlighting cross-border entanglements, the 'Rise of Comparative History' is indispensable for all students of European history.”

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Introduction. Comparisons, Transfers, Entanglements: A View From East Central Europe Balázs Trencsényi Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1 Defining the Comparative Method
Cultural History of the Modern Era Kurt Breysig Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	29
Comparison and the Comparative Method, Particularly in Historical Studies Louis Davillé Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	39
On the Comparative Method in History Henri Pirenne Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	65
Historical Science and Philosophy of History Henri Sée Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	77
A Contribution Towards a Comparative History of European Societies Marc Bloch Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	89
2 Structures and Institutions
The Preconditions of Representative Government in the Context of World History Otto Hintze Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	125
The Balkan Peninsula Jovan Cvijić Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	173
The Common Character of Southeast European Institutions Nicolae Iorga Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	185
The Genesis of the Corvée System in Central Europe Since the End of the Middle Ages Jan Rutkowski Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	205
Serfdom of the Glebe and Its Fiscal Regime: Romanian, Slavic, and Byzantine Comparative Historical Essay Gheorghe I. Brătianu Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	213
On The Working Group of the Historiography of Small Nations István Hajnal Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	235
3 Beyond the National Grand Narratives
The Development of Nationalities in Central-Eastern Europe Marceli Handelsman Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	279
What Is Eastern Europe? Oskar Halecki Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	299
An Attempt at a Comparative History of the Peoples of Europe Charles Seignobos Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	311
Aim and Significance of Balkan Studies Milan Budimir and Petar Skok Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	333
The Effect of the War in Southeastern Europe David Mitrany Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	359
The Balkan Peninsula and the Question of Comparative Studies Victor Papacostea Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	385
Southeast Europe and the Balkans Fritz Valjavec Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	393
About the editors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	403
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	405

Language: English
Publisher: Central European University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 418
Keywords: 20th century; Balkan; Central Europe; East-central Europe; Historiography; South-east Europe

eBook

Published: April 30, 2021
ISBN: 9789633863626