New Book: The History Manifesto

A new book from Cambridge University press explores the issue of long-range historical study. The History Manifesto, by Jo Guldi and David Armitage, makes the case for long-term historical study through digital humanities tools, such as topic modeling and text mining, alongside traditional scholarship practices. The Cambridge UP website includes the following description for the manifesto:

How should historians speak truth to power – and why does it matter? Why is five hundred years better than five months or five years as a planning horizon? And why is history – especially long-term history – so essential to understanding the multiple pasts which gave rise to our conflicted present? The History Manifesto is a call to arms to historians and everyone interested in the role of history in contemporary society. Leading historians David Armitage and Jo Guldi identify a recent shift back to longer-term narratives, following many decades of increasing specialization, which they argue is vital for the future of historical scholarship and how it is communicated. This provocative and thoughtful book makes an important intervention in the debate about the role of history and the humanities in a digital age.

The History Manifesto is available for free access at the Cambridge University Press website.

See also: review at Inside Higher Ed.