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Vigorous historical exploration has increased across the social sciences in the past two decades. Originally published as a series of articles in the journal Social Science History, the essays in this volume provide a guide to historical social science by surveying the use of historical data and methodologies in anthropology, sociology, political science, economics, and geography.
Each essay in Engaging the Past pays close attention to the unique problems and methods associated with its particular social scientific discipline. By exploring questions raised by both contemporary and more established works within each field, the authors show that some of the best and most innovative research in each of the social sciences includes a strong historical component. Thus, as Eric H. Monkkonen’s introduction shows, these essays taken together make it clear that historical research provides a significant key to many of the major issues in the social sciences.
Intended for the growing community of both social scientists and historians interested in reading or researching historically informed social science, Engaging the Past suggests future directions that might be taken by this work. Above all, by providing a set of user’s guides written by respected social scientists, it encourages future boundary crossings between history and each of the social sciences. Contributors. Andrew Abbott, Richard Dennis, Susan Kellog, Eric H. Monkkonen, David Brian Robertson, Hugh Rockoff
List of contents
Introduction / Eric H. Monkkonen 1
Histories for Anthropology: Ten Years of Historical Research and Writing by Anthropologists, 1980-1990 / Susan Kellogg 9
History and Economics / Hugh Rockoff 48
History and Sociology: The Lost Synthesis / Andrew Abbott 77
Politics and the Past: History, Behavioralism, and the Return to Institutionalism in American Political Science / David Brian Robertson 113
History and Geography: At the Intersection of Time an Space / Richard Dennis 154
Index 189
About the author
Eric H. Monkkonen is Professor of History at the University of California, Los Angeles.
