Making History: An Introduction to the History and Practices of a Discipline

Making History offers a fresh perspective on the study of history. It is a detailed exploration of the practice of history, of historical traditions and of the theories that surround them.  Discussing the development and growth of history as a discipline and of the profession of the historian, the book encompasses a huge diversity of influences, and is organized around the following themes: The professionalisation of the discipline, its methodology, the nature of 'scientific' history and the problem of objectivity. The most significant movements in historical scholarship in the last century, including the Annales Schools, and other variants of social and economic history. The increasingly interdisciplinary trends in scholarship, showing interconnections between history and a range of disciplines from psychoanalysis to anthropology. Theory in historical practice, looking at the social movements and ideologies that carried them, including Marxism, post-modernism and gender history. Historical practice outside the academy with reference to 'amateur' history, heritage, film, and popular culture. The volume offers a coherent and carefully considered set of chapters that will support undergraduates, postgraduates and others interested in the historical processes that have shaped the discipline of history.