The Science of History in Victorian Britain: Making the Past Speak (Sci & Culture in the Nineteenth Century)

Hesketh, Ian

ISBN 10: 0822966360 / ISBN 13: 9780822966364

Published by University of Pittsburgh Press, 2020

About this Item

pp. 248.

Seller Inventory # 380018373

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Science of History in Victorian Britain: Making the Past Speak (Sci & Culture in the Nineteenth Century)
• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
• Publication Date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0822966360
• ISBN 13: 9780822966364
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

New attitudes towards history in nineteenth-century Britain saw a rejection of romantic, literary techniques in favour of a professionalized, scientific methodology. The development of history as a scientific discipline was undertaken by several key historians of the Victorian period, influenced by German scientific history and British natural philosophy. This study examines parallels between the professionalization of both history and science at the time, which have previously been overlooked. Hesketh challenges accepted notions of a single scientific approach to history. Instead, he draws on a variety of sources―monographs, lectures, correspondence―from eminent Victorian historians to uncover numerous competing discourses.

About the Author

Ian Hesketh is associate professor of history in the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Queensland.