Microhistory and Storytelling in History

Catalog description

This seminar focuses on storytelling and the genre of "microhistory" in understanding the past. Microhistory has as its goal the recovery of daily life and experiences of those who had tended to be ignored by traditional historiography--e.g. peasants, women, and slaves. Through focusing on a specific story, event, or set of documents, proponents of microhistory argue that the individual experience can open a window into a wider understanding of the past. This seminar will focus on fascinating microhistories-- e.g. a heretical miller, a daring impostor--but also give students the chance to write their own stories.