Writing Contemporary History

Writing Contemporary History brings together some of the world's most pre-eminent historians to discuss the core issues confronting students of contemporary history today. Tackling ten key questions of current historiographical debate, each chapter sets in parallel and in opposition thecontributions of two scholars. Questions include: Does gender history have a future? When does colonial history end? What is cultural history now about? This volume takes to heart the central rationale of the Writing History series, namely to combine theoretical reflection with the practice ofproducing historical texts. It introduces the reader to a variety of important theoretical approaches in the field of contemporary history writing and asks how these approaches have shaped historical writing in this important sub-discipline. Writing Contemporary History an invaluable introduction tothe central debates that have shaped the field of contemporary history.

Robert Gildea is Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford.

Anne Simonin is Senior Researcher at the French National Scientific Center.

Acknowledgements	p. vi
Notes on Contributors	p. vii
Introduction	p. xi
Is there still a place for social history?	p. 1
Is economic history no longer fashionable?	p. 23
What is cultural history now about?	p. 47
What future for gender history?	p. 69
Has history again become a branch of literature?	p. 95
How should historians deal with extreme political change and political violence?	p. 121
Where does colonial history end?	p. 145
Is there a 'tyranny of the present' in the writing of history today?	p. 169
Conclusion	p. 195
Bibliography	p. 216
Index	p. 245
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