Past Sense -- Studies in Medieval and Early Modern European History

The twenty studies collected in this volume focus on the transition from the Middle Ages to the modern world. The method leads from technical investigations on William Durant the Younger (ca. 1266-1330) and Hermann Conring (1606-1681) through reflection on the nature of historical knowledge to a break with historicism, an affirmation of anachronism, and a broad perspective on the history of Europe. The introduction explains when and why these studies were written, and places them in the context of contemporary historical thinking by drawing on Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations. This book will appeal to historians with an interest in historical theory, historians of late medieval and early modern Europe, and students looking for the meaning of history.

Review:

There are many layers to this insightful, learned, and thought-provoking book. Taken individually, each essay is a masterful piece of research in the field of premodern political thought lato sensu and represents some of the methodological challenges and potentialities of intellectual history as a specific approach to people, ideas, and texts. Taken as a whole, this collection provides several important contributions to the wider historical and historiographical debate. Stefania Tutino, University of California, Los Angeles. In: The Journal of Modern History, Vol. 88, No. 2 (June 2016), pp. 416-417.