The modern historical profession is very much a European creation, originating
in the Age of Enlightenment. Championing reason and challenging religious
views of the past, the Philosophes linked the new secular study of man and his
society to a view of historical progress. Some have argued that the very nature of
the historical discipline is Eurocentric, based as it is on Western concepts of reason, science, and historical evolution which privilege European history at the expense of its non-Western counterparts. In this course, we will study some of the
important spokesmen for historical progress (Voltaire, Condorcet, Marx, von
Ranke) as well as some of their important critics. The first half of the course will
survey the history of the historical profession from the Enlightenment to the
present. In the second half of the course, we will read some of the great works of
history which have attempted to explain the rise of the west, grappling with how
and to what extent these interpretations are Eurocentric.
Format: discussion. Evaluation will be based on class participation, two 10- to
12-page papers , and a final exam.
Restricted to History majors.