The Canadian historian Thomas V. Cohen is one of the most esteemed and pronounced microhistorians of his generation. He has combined his fascination for microhistorical approaches to history with the art of writing as a microhistorian. Thomas Cohen will visit Oldenburg University 26th to 27th of March 2020, and together with his wife Elizabeth, we will run a workshop on "The Art of Microhistory" for students. This workshop is integrated into this class and attendance is obligatory.
In the class running up to this workshop, we will read and discuss core texts written by Thomas Cohen including his latest “Roman Tales. A reader’s guide to the Art of Microhistory” as well as selected microhistorical classics by Natalie Zemon Davis and Carlo Ginzburg. We will also read a couple of core texts on the writing of historical analysises and debates about the “correct” style of “how to write as a historian”.
The first introductory meeting is on Tuesday, 22 October at 4.15 pm in A 11 014. There will be only five more meetings, possibly in the evening and in a relaxed setting of a reading and discussion club taking place in the Villa GeistReich.