Description
Book SynopsisWhat is intellectual history? Those who practice intellectual history have described themselves as eavesdroppers upon the conversations of the past, explorers of alien ideological worlds, and translators between historic societies and our own, while their critics have often derided them as narrow-mindedly studying the ideas of dead white men.
Trade Review"What is Intellectual History? is a powerful statement of the importance and relevance of its subject. From a history of the field's development, with a particular focus on the transformation of the history of political thought by John Pocock, Quentin Skinner and Istvan Hont, Richard Whatmore explores the possibilities as well as the limits of intellectual history, demonstrating the multiple ways in which it better enables us to understand the rich tapestry of human intellectual achievement."
—John Robertson, University of Cambridge
"The ideal starting-point for anyone who wants to understand what intellectual historians are doing and why it matters. In this timely and useful book, Whatmore provides a lucid and refreshingly personal introduction to both the history of Intellectual History and the ways it is practised today in the English-speaking world."
—Ann Thompson, European University Institute
Table of ContentsPreface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
The identity of intellectual history
The history of intellectual history
The method of intellectual history
The practice of intellectual history
The relevance of intellectual history
Intellectual history present and future
Conclusion
Notes
Further reading
Index
