Structural history

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The term structural history describes a methodical approach in historical studies . A counter-term is political history .

Development and positions

The term goes back to the French Annales school . It was first used by Fernand Braudel in 1949 ("histoire de structures") in his study of the Mediterranean world. In Germany, this historical approach could fall back on forerunners such as Karl Lamprecht , who, in contrast to the event-oriented Neorankeans , had emphasized the importance of cultural history . Another strand of tradition, which has only become more conscious in recent years due to relevant research, is the history of folklore from the 1920s to the 1940s. Historians such as Otto Brunner , Werner Conze , Theodor Schieder , but from this branch of research promoted by the National Socialists The sociologist Hans Freyer also emerged, who played an important role in establishing structural history in Germany during the post-war period. In addition to the German and French roots, role models from the USA and Great Britain and returned German emigrants also played a role in German development.

The protagonists of structural history did not understand this as a sub-area of ​​historical science, such as the history of politics, legal history or social history, but as a methodical approach, with the help of which the area of ​​the political, the social, the economy, ideas and have other areas examined. The focus was not on the actions of individuals or events, but on supra-individual structures and processes. Another aim is to grasp overarching overall historical connections.

It was important that the structural history began to introduce typifying and generalizing terms into historical studies. Another important instrument was the comparative approach and the use of theoretical offers from the social sciences. In addition to statistical or other empirical methods, the recourse to Karl Marx and especially Max Weber played an important role , especially since the late 1960s .

Even in the 1950s, this approach met with vehement resistance from a historical tradition in the German-speaking world that was more personal and historical. Nevertheless, the structural history could no longer be completely repressed like its predecessors. The reasons for this were varied. One role was played by the fact that, in the face of National Socialism and World War II, representatives of the established guild began to doubt whether the previous methodology for analyzing modern mass society was sufficient. The working group for modern social history founded by Conze has been an important discussion forum since 1957 . In addition to the older generation, it also attracted younger people at the time, such as Wolfgang Köllmann or Reinhart Koselleck . In the 1970s and 1980s, structural history in Germany in the form of historical social science, represented mainly by the Bielefeld School around Hans-Ulrich Wehler , Jürgen Kocka and others, reached the height of its importance. The social history of Hans-Ulrich Wehler, which is essentially structural and historical, claims to be a "histoire totale". It overcomes alleged national advantages in favor of a European perspective based on the longue durée .

Structural history came under pressure to adapt due to challenges such as everyday history , postmodern approaches or a new cultural history .

literature

  • Jürgen Kocka: Social History. Concept, development, problems . 2nd ext. Aufl. Göttingen, 1986. ISBN 3-525-33451-6
  • Jürgen Kocka: Social history in Germany since 1945. Rise, crisis and perspectives . Bonn, 2002. ISBN 3-89892-136-0
  • Winfried Schulze: German history after 1945 . Munich, 1989. ISBN 3-486-54811-5 v. a. Pp. 281-301
  • Hans-Ulrich Wehler: What is social history . In: Ders .: Learn from history? Munich, 1988. ISBN 3-406-33001-0 , pp. 116-129
  • Lutz Raphael (ed.): From folk history to structural history. The Beginnings of West German Social History 1945–1968. Leipziger Univ.-Verl., Leipzig 2002, ISBN 3-534-06096-2 .