The development of this course has been funded by the Curriculum Resource Center (“CRC”) at the Central European University (“CEU”),
whose programs are partially funded by the Higher Education Support Program (“HESP”). The opinions expressed herein are the author’s own
and do not necessarily express the views of CEU.
Lecturer:
Host Institution:
Course Title:
Year of CDC Grant:
Zsombor Toth
Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca
Historical
Representation
and
Anthropology
2001 / 2002
Historical
Introduction
1. Locating the content of the course within the discipline:
Disciplines which had per definitionem opposed to each other, have since the 1970`s developed
such a trans-disciplinary symbiosis that in modern historiography the presence of the
anthropological focus on a holistic approach to everyday life, the centrality of social ritual,
symbolic representation, and microanalyses, have in many places, become commonplace.
The aim of this introductory course is to give a general overview of the scientific processes
within the fields of anthropology and history, which led to the very logical coming together
of the historical and anthropological approaches. As an explicitly introductory course, the
aim can only be to present a general framework in which trends, concepts and scholars can
be positioned. Accordingly, while the lectures attempt to give a comprehensive outline of the
major themes, these will be discussed not in and of themselves, but always in relation to their
relevance regarding historiography.
2. Locating the course within the curriculum:
The course 'Historical Representation and Historical Anthropology' is intended especially for
students coming from fields other than history or anthropology, therefore it will consist of
three distinct phases: a) an introductory part, which will make students familiar with the
theoretical approach of the major anthropological trends with a great impact on history
writing; b) a comprehensive overview of new trends of European historiography, including
practice for analyzing archive materials as sources for microhistorical research; c) innovative
reading and interpretation of seventeenth-century Hungarian texts. The different
professional background of the lecturers is a benefit, and it leads to an active
interdisciplinary dialogue, and a useful debate upon the relations of past, history and
literature, the process of interpretation, and the role of narrativity in historical discourse.
Being an optional lecture, it will be limited to a weekly two-hours class; although the course
will begin with a comprehensive account of purely theoretical presentation, it will give the
students the opportunity to expose their views and reading experience. The confrontation of
theory and its application is compulsory during analysing case studies, which requires the
active participation of students as well. The group will be limited to a number of 15 students.
3. Students’ assumed knowledge basis for course participation:
Despite of the fact that historical anthropology has been used as a working methodology by
European historians, students are not familiar with the basic writings of the field, although
classics are translated into Hungarian and Romanian, and recent writings are available in a
growing number. The complex study of Hungarian culture is jointly carried out by the
Hungarian Culture and Language Department and the History of Hungarian Literature and
Literary Theory Department, offering BA specialization in Hungarian Literature, Linguistics
and Ethnography. Undergraduate students with educational background related to historical
anthropology (study of folklore or popular culture, comparative study of mythologies, and
study of religions) could use the course as alternative approach to their previous studies.
Students specialized in Hungarian literature, on the other hand, can acquire new perspectives
on the interaction of anthropology and history of literature. As an introductory series, the
course 'Historical Representation and Historical Anthropology' can be further developed
into an applied seminar with the possibility of working towards independent research based
on original materials.
4. Objectives of the course
The aim of this course is to (re)evaluate with the help of microhistorical approach all those
issues, which are related to the problem of historical representation. A thorough
theoretical/methodological preliminary training could be the starting-point for an innovative
reading and interpretation through contemporary sources of the Hungarian 16th–17th
centuries. In this way students are offered a good opportunity to debate upon the relation of
past and history, the process of remembrance, and last but not least the role of narrativity in
the historical discourse.
Learning outcomes
The theoretical /methodological grounding is emphasizing the new perspectives,
possibilities offered by history, and therefore is holding out those considerations which make
possible an innovator reading or (re)construction of a given period. This preliminary training
assumes the possibility to analyze the sources based on new methods of history.
Course Details
Seminar synopsis
I. Why Anthropology? (Csillag Gábor)
I. The prelude to the development of the anthropological discipline
Provides a brief overview:
The works and key concepts of the so-called "story-telling" theoreticians (Frazer, Tylor,
Morgan) as well as those sociologically oriented scholars, who had a profound effect on
anthropological thought (Spencer, Durkheim, Weber)
II. The rise and fall of the "classics"
The first part of the topic deals with the period from roughly 1920's till the Second World
War - which was the time when anthropology developed into a distinct discipline. The works
and concepts of Malinowski, Radcliffe-Brown, Boas and their followers will be the focus of
attention.
The second part deals with the polemics conducted within the now firmly established
discipline. These debates and discussions were in great part directed at correcting and
clarifying the works of the "classic founding fathers", which eventually led to the formation
of trends within anthropology after the World War II, e.g.: cultural ecology, neoevolutionism, structuralism, etc.
III. Anthropology since
This section deals the development of "modern" anthropology from the late 1970's till today.
It focuses on various key trends, namely symbolic, cognitive, and especially interpretative
anthropology, the understanding of which is indispensable for discussing such
multidisciplinary approaches as historical anthropology or micro-history.
4. Anthropology and History
Summing up, this lecture reiterates and develops the specific relations, conflicts and
common points between the disciplines of anthropology and historiography, including
suggesting possibilities for future multidisciplinary co-operation.
II. Theoretical/Methodological Preliminary Training (Bálint Emese)
1. New trends of historiography
The changes which have occurred in historiography since the Annales school: instead of the
longue dure, historians focus on lives of individuals, the delimitation and canonization of high
and low culture is questioned, and they try to reconstruct social interaction through the
analyses of social representations. Another aspect of the new historical perspectives is
offered by the Italian microhistory and French intellectual history. People of remote worlds
and people of the past: problems in applying anthropology directly to history; the debate
between Robert Darnton and Roger Chartier based on Darnton's analysis of the great cat
massacre. Works of other anthropologists: Turner, Geertz.
2. Microhistory: approaches and methods
Historical anthropology in general, and microhistory uses qualitative approach to specific,
often single cases, and uses to a great extent such analytical frameworks, which allow deep
insight into the rich sociocultural patterns of small communities. Society in the early modern
period was not a community of equal people, where each individual acts the same way.
Distinct cultural differences between popular and high culture always existed, and our task is
to reveal the organizing mechanism of societies, which is to be described with the help of
varying archive documents. (Carlo Ginzburg and E. Le Roy Ladurie)
3. Archive Material: trial records and town accounts
Based on the previous class, this seminar uses mainly archive sources to demonstrate how
various types of survived documents can be used when reconstructing early modern society.
Different types of narratives and texts reflect the basic characteristics of the moral code of
behavior in a certain community. The aim of this class is to reveal moral judgments and
mechanisms of organizing communities, as reflected for example in wittnesses' depositions,
the scribe's framing texts to the town acounts. Accusations and testimonies are the product
of narrative stereotypes, but the documents often contain the detailed and vivid description
of everyday quarrels, street debates, fears, afflictions. These documents are good starting
points for reconstructing everyday life.
 Trial depositions from 1572
4. Biographies, memoirs and historical representation
Theoretical introduction to the analyses of literary texts and narratives: memoirs, diaries,
chronicles. The last class of the theoretical training focuses on questions of individuality,
originality and narrative in case of historical works. It will also concern the problem of oral
history, the credibility of such kind of documents, and the liability of remembrance.
III. Historical Representation and Microhistory: Textual Analyses (Tóth Zsombor)
1Historiography after the „linguistical turn:”toward the poetics of history..
The trend called New Historicism brought to the surface very important questions
concerning the process of writing history. Starting with the famous provocation of White’s
Metahistory up to the narratology of Ankersmith it has produced a completely new approach
to the process of representing past events. Rhetorics seems to become a determining cultural
traditon, which is influencing directly not only our possibilities of describing our memories,
but (re)creating our memories as well. The ancient thesis of loci communes/loci memoriae
confronted with the theories of Nora, Assmann are very good opportunities to bring into
discussion the problem of truth and reality in literary works such as the memories, journals.
2. The Memoirs of Count Miklós Bethlen
Miklós Bethlen is one of the most important representatives of the seventeenth century
Hungarian literature. Although his work represents an important source for historiography
as well, none of the historians ever tried to reanalyze it from the perspective of microhistory.
Every historian seemed to be contented with the idea that the memories are containing
relatively accurate information about the history of the XVIIth century Transylvania. These
memories which belong to the “mainstream” of the contemporary Hungarian literature, were
written by one of the most influential politician of the epoch. Therefore, the memories are
remarkable illustrations of political thinking, mentality and culture of Hungarian aristocracy.
Our task should be to discover the individual in this text, and from this particular level
toreconsider the historical reality presented in this work.
3. The Chronicle of Buda in 1686 Written by the Jewish Isac Schulhof
The Jewish author of this text delivers us an unexpected and surprisingly tragic view of the
glorious moment of the conquest of Buda (1686). This event which is very often declared to
be one of the greatest Christian victories against the Turks within the territory of Hungary,
is presented and described by an eye-witness, who is neither Christian nor Turk. The account
of Isac Schulhof and his tragic experiences as well are the best illustration of an unuttered,
ignored reality, which might modify our image about the glorious war, or the Christian
military heroes who attended this campaign. Relying on the microhistorical approach, this
chronicle proves to be an excellent source for understanding the way of thinking of a 17 th
century non–Christian person about the great conflict of the Christian and pagan world.
4. The Journey of David Ungnád to Constantinopol
Ungnád Dávid represented the Hungarian political interests in the Capital of the Turk
empire between 1572-1578. During his stay he had the possibility to travel within this huge
country and understand this mythical world of the pagans. Three German writers Franz
Ömich, Stephan Gerlach, Johann von Schlenitz described these travels. The texts are
offering a primary source to interpret or even describe the reception of pagan culture in the
Christian 16th century Europe. The astonishing mixture of information and misbeliefs, the
preconceptions implied in any contemporary attempt of approaching this strange and
different world present a great challenge in our trial to discover those were important
cultural differences and describe them. The issue of historical representation, in this case, is
closely related to the methodology of microhistory, which makes possible the evaluation and
interpretation of these accounts from the level of the individual.
Assesment
Reading list
 Leach, Edmund, “Az antroplógia sokrétűsége” in Szociálantropológia. Budapest: Osiris,
1996, 11-46.
 Geertz, Clifford, „Sűrű leírás. Út a kultúra értelmező elméletéhez” in Az értelmezés hatalma.
BudapestÉ századvég, , 170-200.
 Burke, Peter, "Mi a történeti antroplógia?" in Sebők Marcell (ed.), Történeti Antropológia.
Budapest: Replika Kör, 2000.
 Klaniczay Gábor, “A történeti antropológia tárgya, módszerei és első eredményei” in
Hofer Tamás ed. Történeti antropológia. Budapest, 1984, 23-60.
 Czoch Gábor-Sonkoly Gábor, “Bevezető” in Társadalomtörténet másképp. A francia
társadalomtörténet új útjai a kilencvenes években. Csokonai Kiadó, 2000, 9-23.
 Ginzburg, Carlo, "Az inkvizítor mint antropológus" in Sebők Marcell ed., Történeti
Antropológia. Budapest: Replika Kör, 2000.
 Szíjártó M. István, Mi a mikrotörténelem? In Aetas1996/4, 157-182.
 White, Hayden,”Az elbeszélés kérdése a mai történelemelméletben” in A történelem terhe.
Budapest: Osiris, 1997.
 Thomka Beáta ed. Narratívák 4. A történelem poétikája. Budapest: Kijárat Kiadó, 2000.
 Nora, Pierre, „Emlékezet és történelem között. A helyek problematikája” Aetas, 1993/3,
142.