The Past As History ─ National Identity and Historical Consciousness in Modern Europe

The book provides a synthesis of the development of the genre of national history writing in Europe. In particular it seeks to illuminate the relationship between history writing and the construction of national identities in modern Europe. Whilst it briefly considers pre-modern forms of national history writing, the focus of the book is firmly on the period after 1750. It ranges widely across Europe, featuring the well-known national historiographies of countries such as Britain, France and Germany as well as the less well-known national historiographies of many of the smaller nation-states and stateless nations in Europe. It thoroughly investigates the institutionalisation and professionalization of national historiographies. It analyses the diverse and contested national master narratives put forward by national historiographies. It pays due attention to the interrelationship of national historiographies with sub- as well as transnational forms of history writing and with potential alternative historiographies of ethnicity/ race, class, religion and gender. And it looks at the impact of borders and bordering in the national historiographies in Europe. It presents an overview of the power of national historiographies over the historical imagination in modern Europe.

Stefan Berger is Professor of Social History and Director of the Institute for Social Movements at Ruhr-Universitat Bochum, Germany, as well as Executive Chair of the Foundation Library of the Ruhr. Before, he was Professor of Modern German and Comparative European History at the University of Manchester (2005 – 2011), Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Glamorgan (2000 – 2005), UK. He has published widely on the history of historiography, national identity, memory history, and the history of social movements.


Christoph Conrad is a Professor at the Contemporary History Unit at the University of Geneva, Switzerland.