Histoire pragmatique, ou de la rencontre entre histoire sociale et histoire culturelle

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between social and cultural history, the antagonism which has kept them apart for a long time, and the reasons for a new convergence between the two which has emerged recently. The case of microstoria and of its “fathers” (Edoardo Grendi, Carlo Ginzburg or Edward P. Thompson) provides an example of the limitations of both approaches. The paper shows that the combination of “pragmatism” applied to judiciary documents and sociological theories of action opens the way for a new convergence between social and cultural history.

Keywords

• microstoria
• social story/cultural story
• emic/etic
• contextualization
• action
• legitimation