History and Cultural Theory

by Simon Gunn

In recent times there has been recognition of the growing influence of cultural theory on historical writing. Foucault, Bourdieu, Butler and Spivak are just some of the thinkers whose ideas have been taken up and deployed by historians. What are these ideas and where do they come from? How have cultural theorists thought about 'history'? And how have historians applied theoretical insights to enhance their own understanding of events in the past? This book provides a wide-ranging and authoritative guide to the often vexed and controversial relationship between history and contemporary theory. It analyses the concepts that concern both theorists and historians, such as power, identity, modernity and postcolonialism, and offers a critical evaluation of them from an historical standpoint. Written in an accessible manner, History and Cultural Theory gives historians and students an invaluable summary of the impact of cultural theory on historiography over the last twenty years, and indicates the likely directions of the subject in the future.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Jip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normaal zet ik boeken van mijn studie niet in Goodreads, maar ik heb zo veel tijd met dit boek doorgebracht dat het op mijn lijst mag. Best leuk!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I normally wouldn't put a book like this on my reading list but I spent so much time on it that I felt I had to. I do recommend it and I'll definitely use it more in the future

[Anouck · Rating 3 out of 5]

History and Cultural Theory was an alright book. It was quite complete and therefore a decent introductory work. However, there are books out there that better accomplish what Simon Gunn set out to do here. I didn't find it pleasant to read as the text was very 'jammed' with information.

If this was a book for university students, it could have been structured better and offered its information in a more digestible way. If this is a book for the average enthusiast, they might find themselves struggling with how little room there is to breathe between the infodumps you're subjected to. I got the most use out of this book as a source for an essay, just to pull some sentences here and there. However, as an educational book I wonder how much I will end up remembering a few weeks from now... And I took notes!