People, Nations and Traditions in a Comparative Frame: Thinking about the Past with Jonathan Steinberg

If the turn of the twenty-first century was characterised by the ‘history wars’ in which bitter internecine battles raged between different historical schools, Jonathan Steinberg was noteworthy for his methodological pluralism. His own historical worked spanned diplomatic history, military history, the social history of war, biography, social history, banking history, political culture and genocide studies. He often employed a comparative historical approach, which teased out deep historical explanations by examining personalities, nations and traditions simultaneously. This book offers a critical appreciation of his contribution to modern historical practice with contributions by former students and colleagues, whose own interests are as diverse as those of Steinberg himself.

D’Maris Coffman is Professor of Economics and Finance and the Head of Department and Director of the Bartlett School of Construction and Project Management at University College London. 

Harold James, the Claude and Lore Kelly Professor in European Studies at Princeton University, is Professor of History and International Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School and Director of the Program in Contemporary European Politics and Society. 

Nicholas Di Liberto is president of the Southeast World History Association and associate editor of the World History Bulletin. He works now as a freelance editor.