KHID 2165 - Historiography & Methodology

This core course introduces all students on the Master in History to some fundamental principles of historical research and writing. A key objective is to show that the historian’s craft lies in formulating new questions and exploring new interpretations more than in accumulating factual knowledge. To achieve this, the course examines approaches and controversies in four broad areas of modern history:

 Global history

 The history of the State

 Knowledge and experience

 Labour and society

Most sessions are jointly taught with a member or an affiliate of the Sciences Po History faculty specialised in the area. To facilitate student engagement, in six sessions out of twelve the class is divided up in two groups, the one primarily holding discussions in English and the other in French.

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12 x 2 hours

Seminar in English and French

Approaches in Modern History/Approches en histoire contemporaine

Programme 2025-2026

• (03.09) – G1 & G2 : David Todd, Introduction

Global History/Histoire globale

• (10.09) – G 1 : Sabine Dullin, “ Décentrer l'Empire en révolution. Acteurs du changement

dans l'Asie russe ”

• (11.09) – G 2 : Florence Bernault, “ Valeur, spectacle et histoire (africaine) ”
• (17.09) – G1 & G2 : Mario del Pero, “ From ‘The History of Foreign Relations’ to ‘The

United States in the World’. On the Merits, Limits and Contradictions of US Diplomatic

History’s Global Turn ”

Knowledge and Experience/Savoirs et expérience

• (24.09) – G1 : Emmanuelle Loyer, “ Biographie et sciences sociales : le cas Lévi-Strauss ”
• (25.09) – G 2 : Grace Ballor, “ Towards an economic history of climate change ”
• (1.10) – G 1 : Thibault Boulvain, “ Les images malades du Sida. Pour une histoire visuelle

de la crise pandémique depuis 1981 ”

• (2.10) – G 2 : Guillaume Piketty, “ War, Coming Out of War and Paroxysm in the Mirror

of Sensitivities and Emotions ”

6 (8.10) – G1 & G2 : Jakob Vogel, “ The Transnational Circulation of Experts and Expertise

(19 th -20 th centuries) ”

Law and Institutions/Droit et institutions

• (15.10) – G1 & G2 : Paul-André Rosental, “ Les institutions de la protection sociale sont-

elles des arènes de la lutte des classes ? ”

• (22.10) – G 1 : Alain Chatriot, “ Institutions, législation sociale et droit du travail sous la

III e République ”

• (23.10) – G 2 : Nicolas Delalande, “ ‘Pas de droits sans devoirs, pas de devoirs sans droits’

: une histoire politique des obligations civiques et de leurs contestations (XIX e -XX e siècles) ”

Labor and Society/Travail et Société

• (5.11) – G1 & G2 : Giacomo Parrinello, “TBC”
• (12.11)– G1 : Marion Fontaine, “ A l’heure de la désindustrialisation : quelle histoire du

travail ? ”

• (13.11)- G2 : Anatole Le Bras, “ Mental Illness at the Crossroads of the Intimate and the

Social. Doing Social History from Psychiatric Archives”

• (19.11) – G1 : Marie-Emmanuelle Chessel, “ Catholiques sociaux et réforme du

capitalisme : études de cas ”

• (20.11) – G2 : Jessica Balguy : “ TBC ”

12 (26.11) – G1 & G2 : David Todd, Conclusion

Class participation and report on a specific session (40%) and final 4000-word paper on an approach or a controversy in modern history (60%)

Approximately 50 pages of preparatory reading for each session.