The Craft of International History : : A Guide to Method / / Marc Trachtenberg.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Princeton University Press eBook-Package Backlist 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: Trachtenberg, Marc,
• Place / Publishing House: Princeton, NJ : : Princeton University Press, , [2009]; ©2006
• Year of Publication: 2009
• Edition: Course Book
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (288 p.)

This is a practical guide to the historical study of international politics. The focus is on the nuts and bolts of historical research--that is, on how to use original sources, analyze and interpret historical works, and actually write a work of history. Two appendixes provide sources sure to be indispensable for anyone doing research in this area. The book does not simply lay down precepts. It presents examples drawn from the author's more than forty years' experience as a working historian. One important chapter, dealing with America's road to war in 1941, shows in unprecedented detail how an interpretation of a major historical issue can be developed. The aim throughout is to throw open the doors of the workshop so that young scholars, both historians and political scientists, can see the sort of thought processes the historian goes through before he or she puts anything on paper. Filled with valuable examples, this is a book anyone serious about conducting historical research will want to have on the bookshelf.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- Preface -- Chapter One. The Theory of Historical Inquiry -- Chapter Two. Diplomatic History and International Relations Theory -- Chapter Three. The Critical Analysis of Historical Texts -- Chapter Four. Developing An Interpretation Through Textual Analysis: The 1941 Case -- Chapter Five. Working With Documents -- Chapter Six. Starting a Project -- Chapter Seven. Writing It Up -- Appendix I. Identifying the Scholarly Literature -- Appendix II. Working with Primary Sources -- Bibliography -- Index