Historicism

by Hamilton Paul

Historicism is the essential introduction to the field, providing its readers with the necessary knowledge, background and vocabulary to apply it in their own studies. Paul Hamilton's compact and comprehensive guide: explains the theory and basics of historicism; presents a history of the term and its uses; introduces the reader to the key thinkers in the field, from ancient Greece to modern times; considers historicism in contemporary debates and its relevance to other modes of criticism, such as feminism and post-colonialism; and contains an extensive bibliography of further reading.

Genres: Philosophy, History, Politics, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published November 23, 1995

Reviews

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul Hamilton's Historicism guides us through some of the key thinkers that have, in one way or another, been subsumed under the label of 'historicism'. However, the title of the book is somewhat misleading, as Hamilton's analysis is far less sweeping and comprehensive than Historicism implies. I think this can largely be attributed to the fact that Hamilton is an English Professor, not an historian, and so the text leans more heavily toward literary criticism than history-proper. His scope is limited primarily to the Continental tradition and its various successors, and, as a result, Historicism is more like a snapshot of one particular sliver of historicism.

Although it shouldn't be read as a comprehensive survey of the intellectual history of historicism, it is a good reflection of the tradition from modernity to post-modernity and beyond. The chapter on hermeneutics was really well-executed and immediately captured my attention. I also enjoyed Hamilton's closing chapter, in which he reflects on the various challenges in writing feminist histories; here, especially, he raises a number of crucial points that I never considered previously.

Overall, Historicism is a stimulating - if limited - introduction to a much larger cluster of traditions. In terms of diving into the historiography, there are probably better places to start your investigation than here. Still, this is a decent place to end up when you find yourself a little further down the road.

[Kayli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another book I picked up for assistance for my thesis. This book was great because it directly outlined the argument of historicism and new historicism. It also provides various examples to highlight the process being taken. While it is very informative and a great book for study, it was also very dry to read as it is similar to a textbook. I definitely recommend it to individuals looking for direction on how historicism.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very dense; asks a lot of its readers; questions terminology and also talks about self-analysis, but does not seem to question itself; lacks an argument (at least a clearly stated one). Otherwise, makes a few remarkable points; covers a lot in not that many words; has occasional flashes of illuminating brilliance.

[EvaLovesYA · Rating 3 out of 5]

En rigtig god kilde ifb. med et semesterfag på engelskstudiet.

- Brugt på universitetet (engelsk)