Theory Thursday | Academic/Professional History Free-for-All

by AutoModerator

Previous weeks!

This week, ending in September 17 2015:

Today's thread is for open discussion of:

  • History in the academy

  • Historiographical disputes, debates and rivalries

  • Implications of historical theory both abstractly and in application

  • Philosophy of history

  • And so on

Regular participants in the Thursday threads should just keep doing what they've been doing; newcomers should take notice that this thread is meant for open discussion only of matters like those above, not just anything you like -- we'll have a thread on Friday for that, as usual.

cyborges

Defining "modernity": What do fellow academic historians use for defining this concept? For writing? For teaching undergraduates? How is it bandied about in graduate/professional contexts?

Do you define it using a text (Raymond Williams' Keywords, for example)? Using explication ("modernity, by which I mean XYZ")? Using examples to specify its type (X as symbol of Y-based modernity)?

Finally: Do you NOT define it, choose NOT to use it, leave it "packed," etc??

Any stabs at this are appreciated -- it'd be exhausting to answer them all, of course. Thanks!

minderbinder

Hey fellow historians, what can you tell me about letter/texts content analysis...? Any valid theories or methodologies around?