Braudel's Historiography Reconsidered

139 Pages·2004·0.652 MB·English

by  Lai Cheng-Chung

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Braudel’s Historiography
Reconsidered
Cheng-chung Lai
DepartmentofEconomics
NationalTsingHuaUniversity,Taiwan
2004
UniversityPressofAmerica
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To my son, Lai Wen, affectionately
For my wife: reliable andtolerant
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Contents
Preface ix
1 ConceptsandMethodology 1
1 Introduction 1
2 Longuedure·e,conjoncture,event-history 4
3 E·conomie-monde(Economic-world) 11
4 Totalhistory 18
5 Methodology 23
6 Evaluation 28
2 TheMediterranean (1949) 31
1 Framework 32
2 Style 33
3 Criticisms 37
4 Economics 38
5 Conclusion 41
3 CivilizationandCapitalism(1979) 45
1 Introduction 45
2 Structureandcontents 46
3 Comments 49
4 Evaluation 54
5 Conclusions 58
Appendix3.1: Comparewithothereightreviews 59
Appendix3.2: Uninterestingpartsofthebook 63
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vi Contents
4 IdentityofFrance (1986) 65
1 Setting 65
2 Framework 66
3 Perplexities 69
4 Contributions 72
5 HistoryofCivilizations(1963) 75
1 Contents 75
2 Isthereexistsagrammarinthehistoryofcivilizations? 76
3 Historyofcivilizationsandcurrentaffairs 77
4 Ahighschooltextbook? 79
5 OnChinesecivilization 80
6 Conclusion 81
6 OnHistory(1969) 83
1 Introduction 83
2 Comments 84
3 Evaluation 90
7 E·critssurl’histoireII(1990) 93
1 Contents 93
2 Historicalapprenticeshipandpersonaltestimony 94
3 PricehistoryinEurope,1450-1750 95
4 Twobiographies 97
5 Preface todeTocqueville’sSouvenirs 98
6 Conclusion 98
Appendix1TheItalianModel(1974) 99
Appendix2MemoriesofTheMediterranean(1996,1998) 103
Appendix3TwoBiographies(1995) 109
FurtherReadings 115
References 117
Index 123
AbouttheAuthor 127
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Tables and Figure
Figure1 Braudel’snotionoftotalhistory 3
Table 1 Evaluationbychaptersections 55
Table 2 Evaluationofeach chapter 91
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Preface
The essayscollectedin this volume representmy viewson Braudel’s
concepts, methodology and principal books. Chapter 1 appraises his
(cid:2)ve central notions and serves as an overall background to assess
Braudel’s contributions to historiography. Chapters 2-4 evaluate his
threemainresearchbooks,whileChapter5examinesarathertoodif-
(cid:2)cult book that Braudel wrote for high school students, and Chap-
ters 6-7 review two collections of his major articles. The three ap-
pendices look at Braudel’s two minor writings and two biographies
written about him. This book focuseson the inner logic and insights
ofBraudel’swritingsperseandnotuponhisinteractionswiththehis-
torycommunity. Analysesrelatedtothesebroaderperspectivescanbe
foundinhistwobiographies.
Braudel’s other writings are not analyzed here. (1) The multiple
collectivevolumesHistoiree·conomiqueetsocialedelaFrance(Paris:
PUF, 1970-82, (cid:147)collection Quadrige(cid:148), four volumes in nine books),
edited by Braudel and Ernest Labrousse. (2) La Me·diterrane·e, in 12
television(cid:2)lms, then transformed into two picture books(1977) with
texts from six other authors, Paris: Arts et Me·tiers Graphiques. (3)
L’Europe,Paris: ArtsetMe·tiersGraphiques,1982(transformedfrom
eight television (cid:2)lms). (4) Venise, Paris: Arthaud (with photographs
of Folco Quilici, 1984). (5) Le monde de Jacques Cartier (a history
of the French navigator Cartier, 1491-1557), Paris: Berger-Levrault,
1984(picturebook).
Inhislastletter(1823)toThomasMalthus,DavidRicardowrote:
(cid:147)Andnow,mydearMalthus,Ihavedone. Likeotherdisputants,after
muchdiscussion,weeachretainourownopinions. Thesediscussions,
however, never in(cid:3)uence our friendship; I should not like you more
thanIdoifyouagreeinopinionwithme.(cid:148)TheRicardianspiritapplies
here. The story is told that after the village tailor had the greatest
moment of his life in a private meeting with the Pope, his reactions
were(cid:147)38short,takeintherightshoulder.(cid:148) Ionlywishthatthisis not
thecaseaftermyencounterwithBraudel.
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x Preface
Permissions to reuse the following published texts in this vol-
ume have been granted by their respective publishers. Chapter 1
(cid:147)Braudel’s concepts and methodology reconsidered(cid:148), The European
Legacy, 2000, 5(1):65-86 (Taylor & Francis). Chapter 2 (cid:147)Braudel’s
The Mediterranean after 50 years(cid:148), Journal of Mediterranean Stud-
ies,1996,6(2):323-31(MediterraneanInstitute, UniversityofMalta).
Chapter 3 (cid:147)Second thoughts on Braudel’s Civilization and Capital-
ism: 15th-18th Century(cid:148), Journal of European Economic History,
1995,24(1):177-93(BancadiRoma). Chapter4(cid:147)Braudel’sIdentityof
France(cid:148),JournalofEuropeanEconomicHistory,2002,31(1):185-94
(BancadiRoma). Chapter5(cid:147)Braudel’sgrammarofcivilizations(cid:148),The
EuropeanLegacy,1998,3(3):80-4(MITPress). Chapter6(cid:147)Braudel’s
On History in retrospect(cid:148), Journal of European Economic History,
1993,22(1):113-20(BancadiRoma). Chapter7(cid:147)Braudel’sEcritssur
l’histoireII(cid:148),TheEuropeanLegacy,1998,3(3):84-8(MITPress). Ap-
pendix1(cid:147)TheItalianmodel(cid:148),JournalofEuropeanEconomicHistory,
1997, 25(3):748-51 (Banca di Roma). Appendix 2 (cid:147)Braudel’s mem-
ory of The Mediterranean(cid:148), The European Legacy, 2002, 7(2):225-8
(Taylor & Francis). Appendix 3 (cid:147)Two biographies on Braudel(cid:148), The
EuropeanLegacy,1998,3(3):89-92(MITPress).
Financial support from my university for the publication of this
bookisgratefullyacknowledged.
[email protected]
www.nthu.edu.tw
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