Massacres of cats, heretical millers, village fraudsters and globe-trotting prophets: these have all been the subjects of ‘microhistory’ at one time or another. Yet despite the increasing use of the term in recent publications, it is not clear that historians are always writing about the same thing when they write about ‘microhistory’. What might the study of small, seemingly insignificant details, people and places reveal about larger historical trends, events and debates?
We will begin with a collection of theoretical and methodological reflections on microhistory in week 1 before proceeding to the close study in weeks 2-6 of examples of the genre from around the world. We will explore what microhistory reveals about the past in ways that cannot be obtained through other methods for example in the study of religion, the state, political culture, bureaucracy, warfare, rural life, and conversion.
For the Option Essay, each member of the class will write a microhistorical study of a subject of his/her choosing (agreed in discussion with the course tutors). In doing so, students will gain direct experience of research, analysis and interpretation linked to their own interests.
