An Appraisal of Environmental Microhistory: Epistemological and Historiographical Insights
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21664/2238-8869.2018v7i3.p262-274Keywords:
Microhistory, Environmental History, Indiciary ParadigmAbstract
The late flourishing of environmental history has been accompanied by attempts to combine it with a microhistorical approach, improving our understanding of specific events of the past as well as pointing to relevant historical insights at the macro level, which might inform policy-driven contemporary debates on environmental issues. Therefore, this article attempts to shed light on the epistemology and historiography of microhistory, stressing its basis on the indiciary paradigm as avowed by the Italian microhistorian Carlo Ginzburg, its emphasis on context, relations and connections, and its potential for unveiling new information at the macro level. It is asserted that these features make the microhistorical approach an adequate methodological tool to environmental history, anticipating a fruitful future for environmental microhistory.
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