STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF CULTURAL HISTORY

Cultural history has never been so popular, in academic circles and perhaps beyond them as well. The so-called 'new cultural history' in particular is flourishing in its different forms. Indeed, almost everything seems to be having its cultural history written these days. The intention of the article is neither to celebrate cultural history nor to discuss its history; it seems more useful to problematize it. The analysis will fall on problems and will conclude by returning to the positive aspects of cultural history, its strengths and its possibilities for 'dialogues' and 'encounters': not only with other places, but also encounters between social classes, between regions, between the sexes, between town and country. This is as it should be, for cultural history is no more than a part of history, of what the French call or called 'total history', histoire totale.