Philosophical Implications Of Theories Of The Annales School

The 20th century with its unprecedented complexity indicates that traditional macro-historiography and its theories can hardly match the progress of history. It was the time that"The Annales School"emerged. Since the 1920s, publishing their articles in The Annales, several generations of historians in France have pioneered a new path to historiographical studies. However, after analyzing their research practices, we would find that they still shared many points of view in common, especially in concepts and methodologies. They were called The Annales School in historians. Since the birth of this school, they were engaged in fighting against speculative historical philosophy and political history, advocating interdisciplinary research from the perspective of general history and focusing on"long time section"."The most important achievement and creation was not the general concept of history they founded, but the possibility of realizing their new historiography in practice and the way to realize it. In short, the changes they brought about remained the methodology they found and never were satisfied with adopting some theoretical views…but writing such kind of history, thereby setting a real sample…then a new methodology came to be founded in an exciting new view."During the 80 years from 1929 to the late 20th century, The Annales School had been conducting a great campaign,"The Annales School—The New Historiography Movement"in which historians of three to four generations sprang up. The first generation (represented by Febvre and Marc Bloch) and the second generation can be called"classical Annales School"by the author. The third generation (Jacques Le Goff and Le Roy Laduire) initiated the"new historiography"stage with European"micro-historiography"and American"new cultural history". The greatest impact in the Annales School came from the achievement of Braudel Times. Braudel held that the"structure"of"long time section"such as geographical environment, daily life, cultural tradition etc. had a role of supporting or blocking the progress of history upon the development of human society, that is, the famous"long time section"theory. In the long time section theory, history did not follow some logic and linear time to progress toward certain goal, such"a natural historical process", but piled up different time section in different levels of history, like tile-stacking process. The development of history was not decided by one or two reasons, but a result of many factors, that is, history was not a"solo"of heroes, but multi-voice"chorus". The Annales School hereby extended historical horizon from macro-fields like politics, military affairs and diplomatism to concrete and wide micro-life and completely overthrew and reconstructed traditional historiography, which just strung occasional and isolated incidents along chronological order and in linear casual determination. This"The Annales School—New Historiography Movement", as Peter Burke said, is entitled as"Revolution in historiography".The Annales School (including classical Annales School, New Historiography and Micro-Historiography) embraces an overall concept and new concept of time instead of linear time concept, questioning the historiography of progression and teleology, focusing on the role of culture and adopting a research method different from that of sciences…all of these shows the historiographical paradigm not only has historical significance, but also forms a new interpretation mode—micro-historiography, unlike traditional way. In the views of historiography and methodology, the revolutionary role of The Annales School is shown not merely in historical research, also the its paradigm meaning lies more in its interpretation horizon—not simply explaining political"events"in macro-political phenomena, but introducing more daily factors (also including geographical environment, cultural tradition, economy, etc.) behind these events. Political phenomena are examined in a deeper level and long period of historical reality, which makes the studying perspective and review gravity shift downwards, and the horizon in research is switched from historic events of politics, economy, military affairs and diplomatism to each field of concrete and micro-daily life, thereby revealing an in-depth historic significance and role. In this way, the overall subversion of Hegel's and Ranke's traditional historiographical theories conducted by The Annales School ushered in an era of micro-historiographical interpretation. The so-called new mode of interpretation does neither aim at a universal law like natural sciences that pursues big process or big structure in explanation, nor takes several key factors of historical macrostructure as the major power of propelling progress of history, but makes a close-up on daily life and culture by individualized approaches to revitalize colorful history and get the effort of"To see a World in a Grain of Sand, And an Ocean in a Drop of Water". This micro-field or micro-angle, in one sense, refers to the eternally unchangeable existence behind history, such as geographical environment and food structure, etc., a"downshift"point of view, that is, scaling down to primary natural and humanity environment these"unchangeable"factors from superstructure; classical Annales School held such point. In other sense, it means a world of daily life, concerning living history of the grass-root masses, or a village, a small potato, which can be regarded as"microcosmic"perspectives. Micro-mode remains a supplement for macro-mode, not a denial. The philosophical basis of micro-mode in historical interpretation is a kind of practice philosophy and cultural philosophy, not a non-linear non-determinism but a generative theory.In the meaning of philosophy, micro-historiographical interpretation mode firstly opposes Utopian historical design and its universal mode to arrange and narrate history of man, claims a return to colorful history. Secondly, it goes against grand narration, especially against linear and simply unitary evolution of history. Thirdly, contingency is highlighted by micro-historiography interpretation mode which applies micro-view and perspective to introduce the richness of life into history.Macro-interpretation and micro-interpretation have their different application scopes, mutually complemented. The former is suitable for the explanation of the whole humankind, while the latter applies much in local, trivial, cultural and concrete fields. Merely overemphasis on one mode would make error, that is, if micro-mode overstressed, we would deny common rules of history, and if macro-mode accentuated, we would ignore materiality and particularity.In fact, from a wider perspective,"The Annales School—A New Movement of Historiography"was neither an isolated phenomenon nor a lonely creek, but a stream of many subjects which all criticized"grand narration", promoted a paradigm shift in micro-research of the 20th century and conducted the philosophy and social sciences in this period. The stream had the following branches: First,"Life-world Theory"and"Critique of Everyday Life". One of the most important discoveries in the 20th century was the reasonable and conscious return to life world. Critique paradigm did not insist on its isolated discussion about politics and economy these macro-historical factors as The Annales School did, and introduced all social and historical factors into cultural structure of life world to examine. To some extent, critique paradigm of life world is a type of micro-research paradigm. Second, micro-politics'analysis and critique on modernity focuses on ubiquitous and diverse micro-power from centralized macro-power. Micro-politics endows"leadership"with micro-connotations different from traditional macro-politics, stressing marginal, trivial, diverse positions and roles of political power and analyzing mechanism of micro-power. Third, the theoretical interests of western Marxist philosophers like Lukacs and Gramsci were gradually shifted from macro-economic and political issues to micro-social daily problems. They held Marxism was not an inclusive knowledge system, a necessary rule system, and revolution could be unlimited within macro-field (ownership, state regime), the governance and oppression of modern western society were shown not only in politics, but also in culture and psychology, that is,"cultural hegemony". Therefore, proletarian revolutionary strategy should also be changed—at first, engaging in ideological and cultural revolutions, focusing micro-social system and daily life paradigm, analyzing and criticizing daily life world; economy- and politics-centered macro-revolutions should be transformed into micro-revolution in daily life and cultural fields, and political emancipation be replaced by micro-life emancipation. In short, the 20th century witnessed a micro-shift from levels of different subjects which were mutually influenced, fused and penetrated to converge into one mainstream against macro-narration. And The Annales School functions as the deepest current during the trend, who claims the internal coherence among its historiographical paradigm, daily life world theory and micro-politics.Marx's theory of social history remained the sources as well as one opponent for The Annales School."Two great discoveries"completed by Marx revealed the basic rules of historical movement of a society, and he created historical materialism. For the first time, the theory of social history was founded on the basis of science, realizing its total revolution. His theory and The Annales School's doctrines have many essences in common, such as thoughts of overall concept, theoretical quality of progressing with the times, interdisciplinary methods, concept of the masses, etc. However, facing new situations of the 20th century, The Annales School did not walk along a way"seeking law of historical development", but slit the fault of history, picked up too many neglected contingencies, unveiled daily life and culture defiladed by modern science and technology, and revitalized vivid history until history was totally broken into pieces(Micro-historiography). Therefore, postmodern historians opposed all the grand narration and Marxism, except The Annales School. In this sense, The Annales School established a precedent for postmodern historiography (Although the historians including micro-historians opposed postmodern concept of history, they disclaimed they were postmodern historians). It was the mission that Marx put forwards to later generations and that were not necessary to launch. The major task in Marx's era remained the chasing path to historical laws from complex history and the critique on all kinds of idealist conception of history to establish historical materialism, which accorded with the laws of human recognition. Today, for widening the micro-dimension of Marx's theory of social history, The Annales School doctrines have an important meaning, such as diversified concepts of time and history, emphasis on the continuance and rupture of history, unity of necessity and contingency, highlight of daily life and cultural role, and unattached culture from the appendage of economy, etc. Enriching and developing Marx's theory of social history is also determined by its coherent features in practice and openness. Conjunction of macro- and micro-perspectives is a historically interpreted mode of cultural philosophy, which, in the view, functions as contemporary mode of Marx's theory of social history. The paper revealed the meanings of creating such interpretation mode: firstly, it absorbed the advantages of macro- and micro- interpretation modes and discarded their weaknesses; Second, cultural philosophy has penetrated into all fields of society, so culturally interpreting history of human survival mode can overcome the vicious circles of precedent debate between determinism and non-determinism. This theory indeed has a long way to be improved.