Alltagsgeschichte: A New Social History “From Below”?

1989 ◽  
Vol 22 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 394-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
David F. Crew
Keyword(s):  
Social History ◽  
Past History ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Historical Research ◽  
Ordinary People ◽  
Book Market ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
The Masses

There is an insatiable demand in the Federal Republic for accounts of the past that allow contemporary Germans to identify with the forgotten joys and sorrows of ordinary people. Just about anything “thrown onto the (book)market” may include the word Alltag in its title. Trade union and SPD adult education programs, Volkshochschulen and youth associations teach “lay historians” how to retrieve the traces of their “lost past.” “History workshops” (Geschichtswerkstätten), inspired by the leftist-populism of the Greens and often dedicated to a politically subversive reconstruction of forgotten local histories, have sprung up all over West Germany. But despite this wave ofpopular enthusiasm, Alltagsgeschichte has not degenerated, as some critics feared, into an “entertaining, but naive and sentimental, low-German mini-series” Serious practitioners of Alltagsgeschichte have never been cintent to engage in the unexamined retrieval of the most obscure details of the everyday lives of the masses (die Vielen). Indeed, Alltagsgeschichte has challenged the theoretical and methodological hegemony of Strukturgeschichte within the German historical “guild” (Zunft) and it has campaigned for the construction of a radically new paradigm of social historical research. Alltagsgeschichte originally emerged from the dissatisfactions of a younger generation of social historians with the ”structural” social history (Strukturgeschichte) constructed by Hans-Ulrich Wehler, Jurgen Kocka, and the Bielefeld “school” in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Revisiting the Past: History and Historical Memory during the Leningrad Blockade

2011 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-129
Author(s):  
Alexis Peri
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Past History ◽  
Historical Memory ◽  
Crimean War ◽  
Collective Memories ◽  
The Past ◽  
Everyday Practices ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Historical Reflection

AbstractThis article examines the everyday practices of historical reflection, recollection, and reconstruction as revealed in diaries of the Leningrad Blockade. In particular, it focuses on how Leningraders who chose to keep diaries of their experiences worked to make sense of the siege by situating it historically and comparing it to two other historical moments, the blockade of Petrograd during the Civil War and the siege of Sevastopol' during the Crimean War. Their evaluations of these historical analogies were based on a combination of personal and collective memories as well as on their understandings of state-sanctioned accounts of these events. Ultimately, these historical refl ections alerted the diarists to what they came to see as the unique and incomparable aspects of Blockade.

scholarly journals Trajetória da biblioteca pública no Maranhão Provincial

2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Cesar Augusto Castro ◽  
Ana Luiza Ferreira Pinheiro
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Physical Structure ◽  
Historical Research ◽  
Ordinary People ◽  
History And Memory ◽  
Civic Society ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
Educational Field

Análise da trajetória da Biblioteca Pública do Maranhão desde a sua criação em 1829, no Convento do Carmo, até 1889. Formada inicialmente com o apoio dos homens da elite e de populares, desde a sua gênese até o advento da República, a Biblioteca Pública passou por diversas situações, ora de pleno abandono e ora de apogeu. Nesse particular, resgata-se o ofício do bibliotecário e diretores que fizeram brotar as iniciativas para a “socialização” do livro e da leitura no Maranhão oitocentista. A partir desta pesquisa histórica, pode-se compreender o papel que a mesma assumiu na formação da intelectualidade maranhense e na constituição do campo educacional, sendo o espaço privilegiado de convergência de idéias e saberes de professores, jornalistas, políticos o que ensejou na fundação da Oficina dos Novos, Sociedade Cívica das Datas Nacionais, Academia Maranhense de Letras, jornais, revistas e outras ações que favoreceram a São Luis ser denominada de Atenas Brasileira. Para o resgate dessa trajetória pesquisou-se em fontes como jornais, relatórios e falas de Presidentes de Província, legislação, iconografias entre outros documentos que possibilitaram traçar os seus caminhos e descaminhos, na constituição do seu acervo e da sua estrutura física. Conclui-se que esta pesquisa ao revisitar o passado revela as contradições na formação das bibliotecas públicas e abre-se um debate para a necessidade de investigações que busquem fazer emergir a história e memória dessas instituições no Brasil. Abstract Analysis of the path of Public Library of Maranhão since its creation in 1829, in Carmo Convent, to 1889. It was formed initially with the support of the elite and the ordinary people, since its genesis until the advent of Republic, the Public Library has been put under different situations, sometimes of complete abandon and others of peak. In this matter, it is rescued the work of librarians and directors that have created the initiatives for the ´socialization´ of the book and reading in Maranhão in the 80´s. From this historical research it is possible to comprehend the role that it has taken in the background of maranhense intelectuality and in the constitution of the educational field, it has been the privileged space of convergent ideas and knowledge of teachers, journalists and politicians that encouraged the foundation of the Oficina dos Novos (Workshop of Novice), Sociedade Civica das Datas Nacionais (Civic Society of National Dates), Academia Maranhense de Letras ( Maranhense Academy of Letters), newspapers, magazines and other actions which helped São Luis to be named as Brazilian Athens. For the rescue of this path, it was made researches on sources as such: newspapers, reports and speeches of Presidents of the Province, legislation, iconography among other documents that made possible to find its ways and non-ways, in the constitution of its heritage and its physical structure. It is concluded that this research by looking back to the past reveals the contradictions in the formation of public libraries and it also opens a debate to the necessity of investigations that bring out the history and memory of these institutions in Brazil.

scholarly journals The Novel “Beyond the Blue Border”: Insight into the Past of the “Ossis” for the Modern Teenagers

2021 ◽  
pp. 145-162
Author(s):  
Yulia Isapchuk
Keyword(s):  
West Germany ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Juvenile Literature ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Aggressive Interference ◽  
Artistic Image ◽  
Insight Into

The article analyses the debut historical juvenile novel by the German writer Dorit Linke (b. 1971) “Beyond the Blue Border” (“Jenseits der blauen Grenze”, 2014) in the aspect of the literary, historical and pedagogical potential of the text. The main events take place in the Baltic Sea in August 1989 when youths tried to escape from Rostock to West Germany with flashbacks into their life in the GDR. The connection between the periods of the late 1960s and 1980s is emphasized. It was a time of formation or changing the worldview of the main novel’s characters, which belong to three different generations: 1933 (grandfather), 1968 (parents) and 1989 (teenagers). The title of the book points to a kind of marine locus, representing the key stereotypes about the element of water and the inner state of the heroes. The sea is regarded as a constitutive topos, which not only performs the traditional background function of nature but also turns into an artistic image of a literary text. The narrative from the perspective of a teenage girl makes it possible to explain better to the reader of the appropriate age the motives of the incredible act of their peers and helps to get insight into the everyday life of the “Ossi” (residents of East Germany) in contrast to the “Wessi” (West Germans). In this way, the modern German historical juvenile literature demonstrates the relevance for its recipients, performing the cognitive and didactic functions without aggressive interference in the minds of adolescents.

Neo-Serfdom: Its Origin and Nature in East Central Europe

Slavic Review ◽  
1975 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
László Makkai
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
Historical Research ◽  
Focal Points ◽  
East Central Europe ◽  
East Central ◽  
The Past ◽  
Tenure System ◽  
Land Tenure System ◽  
The Masses

The freeing of the serfs occurred in Eastern Europe in the nineteenth century. Although it ended the personal subjection of the peasantry and abolished the feudal obligations of deliveries in kind and services, bringing to a close the feudal and clearing the way for the capitalist form of landholding, this transformation allowed the ex-feudal lords to retain those lands that they had administered themselves in the past by converting into peasant holdings only the so-called rustical lands that had previously been cultivated on their own account by the serfs. The demesne lands, which the feudal owners had managed themselves, were for the greater part cultivated by robot (corvée) labor, and to a lesser extent by those who worked for wages, although some parts were worked by landless peasants to whom they were rented out in exchange for a great variety of obligations. These people received no land when the serfs were freed. The most serious socioeconomic problem of the capitalist century in Eastern Europe was the misery of the masses of landless .peasants as well as of the small and dwarf holders who lived in the shadow of the large estates whose origin was feudal and on which they worked as wage laborers. For this reason it is quite understandable that the origin of the land-tenure system that followed the freeing of the serfs had to become, sooner or later, one of the focal points of historical research.

A Promising Liaison? Social History and Anthropology in South-Eastern Europe. Opportunities and Pitfalls

2008 ◽  
Vol 34-35 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 161-184
Author(s):  
Ulf Brunnbauer
Keyword(s):  
Social History ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Ordinary People ◽  
Historical Anthropology ◽  
Social Fabric ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
Fixed Set ◽  
History Of ◽  
South Eastern Europe

This article argues that historical anthropology provides approaches for the exploration of previously neglected problems of the history of Southeastern Europe. Historical anthropology is not seen as a fixed set of methodologies and theories but rather as a perspective which directs attention to the questions of how societies have worked in the past and “ordinary” people made sense of their lives. Furthermore, historical anthropology tends to be comparative. In the past, Southeastern European historians concentrated on political history and ethnographers on the “traditional” culture of their nation, with little interaction between the two disciplines. After the fall of the communist system in 1989/1991, however, historians and ethnologists borrowed approaches from each other. The potential of historical anthropology is shown in particular with respect to the study of the social fabric of socialism—a topic until now shunned by historians while anthropologists have provided exemplary studies on this issue. The article ends with a discussion of the limits oPf historical anthropology and warns not to leave the state and economic structures out of historical analysis.

African Historical Demography in the Years since Edinburgh

2000 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 61-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis D. Cordell
Keyword(s):  
Social History ◽  
Historical Demography ◽  
Historical Research ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
African Populations ◽  
University Of Edinburgh ◽  
Depth And Complexity ◽  
The University ◽  
Local Research

The study of African demography, unlike the study of populations in Europe, North America, and even Asia, has been remarkably ahistorical. The absence of historical understandings of the facts and dynamics of African populations based on focused, local research has led to the creation and perpetuation of notable myths about African populations in the past. Perhaps the most powerful of these stereotypes is the Malthusinn and neo-Malthusian belief that, whatever the historical era and whatever the social and economic contexts, African populations have invariably sought to maximize births.In 1977 participants at the first conference on African historical demography, convened at the African Studies Center in the University of Edinburgh, argued for a more historicized analysis of the evolution of African populations. Papers presented at Edinburgh in 1977, at a second seminar there in 1981, and in a respectable number of conferences, seminars, and panel sessions in the last two decades, confirm in a variety of time periods and social and economic contexts just how historical research contributes to our understanding of the pasts and presents of African societies.This paper surveys research in African historical demography by demographers and by historians “in the years since Edinburgh,” concluding with a mention of a variety of demographic topics—fertility, nuptiality, mortality, migration, and family history—to show how such research has added depth and complexity to our appreciation of social history in Africa, and how various were the ways that African societies sought to ensure their demographic survival.

scholarly journals Michel de Certeau: Thinking What Happens to Us (Translated from French by: Elena Rudneva)

2018 ◽  
pp. 44-60
Author(s):  
F. Euvé
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
Spiritual Experience ◽  
Ordinary People ◽  
Main Field ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
Contemporary World ◽  
The Past ◽  
Michel De Certeau ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Current Events

This article presents the intellectual approach of an important thinker of the contemporary world, Michel de Certeau (1925-1986), to show its coherence. At the first look his work seems confusing: it addresses both the mystical phenomena of the past and the daily life of his contemporaries. His interests are multifaceted: he was at the same time theologian, historian, sociologist, philosopher of history. His work is a permanent research in a world in perpetual transformation. Although his main field of research was history, his first works dealt with theological problems. The interest of M. de Certeau begins by the analysis of mysticism as a phenomenon characteristic of the beginning of modern times. This leads him to take a broader interest in history as a set of events that cannot be reduced to a “system”. The spiritual experience of that period offers a clue to understanding current events. A significant part of M. de Certeau’s works deals with the problem of “modernity” and “everyday life”. There is a will to “think about event”. In the last part of his life, he works on the anthropology of the everyday life of “ordinary” people, in order to show the capacity they have to “invent” their existence by “tinkering” with the materials they receive. The religious dimension permeates all his work, his religious themes embrace both historical and contemporary Christianity. Christianity is for him the “religion of event”. That is why it must always remain open to meeting the other. Throughout his creativity Michel de Certeau shows a great concern for the singularity of every person, spiritual experience, interrelations with others.

On the formation of a New Paradigm of fiscal Policy

2013 ◽  
pp. 152-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Senchagov
Keyword(s):  
Public Finance ◽  
Fiscal Policy ◽  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Domestic Demand ◽  
Real Economy ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Monetary Aggregate ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Global Financial Crisis

Due to Russia’s exit from the global financial crisis, the fiscal policy of withdrawing windfall spending has exhausted its potential. It is important to refocus public finance to the real economy and the expansion of domestic demand. For this goal there is sufficient, but not realized financial potential. The increase in fiscal spending in these areas is unlikely to lead to higher inflation, given its actual trend in the past decade relative to M2 monetary aggregate, but will directly affect the investment component of many underdeveloped sectors, as well as the volume of domestic production and consumer demand.

Trail-Blazer Dependency – A Roadmap for the Sustainability Revolution

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 317-337
Author(s):  
Jan Kunnas
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Environmental Problems ◽  
Pulp And Paper ◽  
Historical Research ◽  
The Past ◽  
Success Stories ◽  
Electric Car ◽  
Major Benefit ◽  
Quality Movement

While geologists are still considering whether the Anthropocene should be accepted as a formal geological epoch, it is up to us humanists to search for ways making this human era a good one. In this article, I will examine how we can use historical research to provide such tracks based on past regularities or similarities. Positive success stories from the past can at least provide faith that we can do something about our current environmental problems. This investigation is based on two case studies: the Tesla Model S electric car, and the Swedish pulp and paper industry's transition to chlorine-free bleaching. It argues that the sustainability revolution doesn't just share similarities with the quality movement of the 1970s and 1980s, but is essentially a continuation of it. In concordance with previous megatrends, the major benefit of the sustainability revolution will be reaped by countries and companies running ahead of the curve. A new term, 'trail-blazer dependency' is introduced; by setting an example, the first-movers are opening a trail for late-comers to follow.

Periodontopathogens: a new view. Systematic review. Part 2

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 160-167
Author(s):  
E. S. Slazhneva ◽  
E. A. Tikhomirova ◽  
V. G. Atrushkevich
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Periodontal Disease ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Periodontal Diseases ◽  
Oral Microbiome ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Microbial Composition ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
The Past

Relevance. The modern view of periodontitis as a dysbiotic disease that occurs as a result of changes in the microbial composition of the subgingival region is considered in a systematic review.Purpose. To study a new paradigm of development of generalized periodontitis.Materials and methods. Randomized controlled trials (RCTS) were selected for the study, including cluster RCTS, controlled (non-randomized) microbiological and clinical studies of the oral microbiome in adult patients with generalized periodontitis over the past 10 years.Results. The transition from a symbiotic microflora to a dysbiotic pathogenic community triggers the host's inflammatory response, which contributes to the development of periodontal diseases. Modern ideas about periodontal pathogenic bacteria dictate new requirements for the treatment of periodontal diseases. The second part of the review examines the microbial profiles of periodontal disease in various nosological forms, the mechanisms of the immune response and approaches to the treatment of periodontal disease from the perspective of biofilm infection.Conclusions. As follows from modern literature periodontitis is to a certain extent caused by the transition from a harmonious symbiotic bacterial community to a dysbiotic one. Recent scientific studies have shown that not single microorganism is not able to cause disease but the microbial community as a whole leads to the development of pathology.

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