What is Cultural History?

What is Cultural History? has established itself as anessential guide to what cultural historians do and how they do it.Now fully updated in its second edition, leading historian PeterBurke offers afresh his accessible guide to the past, present andfuture of cultural history, as it has been practised not only inthe English-speaking world, but also in Continental Europe, Asia,South America and elsewhere. Burke begins by providing a discussion of the'classic' phase of cultural history, associated withJacob Burckhardt and Johan Huizinga, and of the Marxist reaction,from Frederick Antal to Edward Thompson. He then charts the rise ofcultural history in more recent times, concentrating on the work ofthe last generation, often described as the 'New CulturalHistory'. He places cultural history in its own cultural context,noting links between new approaches to historical thought andwriting and the rise of feminism, postcolonial studies and aneveryday discourse in which the idea of culture plays anincreasingly important part. The new edition also surveys the verylatest developments in the field and considers the directionscultural history may be taking in the twenty-first century. The second edition of What is Cultural History? willcontinue to be an essential textbook for all students of history aswell as those taking courses in cultural, anthropological andliterary studies.