The microhistoire (or microstoria in Italian) is current of historiographic research born in Italy, specialized in the Modern history, gathered around the review Quaderni Storici and developed with the beginning of the year 1970.

Step

Influenced by Edward Micrometer caliper Thompson, the microhistoire proposes to the historians to forsake the study of the masses or the classes to be interested in the individuals. While following the wire of the particular destiny of an individual, one clarifies the characteristics of the world which surrounds it. The Italian microhistoriens preach a reduction of scale, in order to examine the phenomena with the magnifying glass.

The most current research relates to the study of a small town or village, including an analysis centered on the people of modest means and the individuals of minor importance. They usually enter in close cooperation with the naturalized Social sciences, such as the economy, the Sociologie and the cognitive Psychologie built on the methodological Individualisme.

Currents

Two currents crosses this historiography:

• the social microhistoire, with for leader Giovanni Levi. Its objective is to restore the coherence of a universe restricted while varying the visual angles.
• the cultural microhistoire is mainly impelled by Carlo Ginzburg and Carlo Poni, around the “Paradigme of the index” (1986), dependant on the reduction of scales.

See too

Random links:

The Border of the life | Pierre Jodlowski | Subdivisions of the republic of Ossétie of North-Alanie | William Allen | Zostérops Pygmy