Abstract
This article discusses how poststructuralism changes the concept of sources in the field of history. Translating the postcolonial debate about representation of the Acultural Other@ to the question of the historian representing the Apast Other@, the article draws on Jacques Derrida's theories of translation to form a concept of historical sources as "un/original events." Such events create Ahypothetical equivalences@ in their translation of conflicting discourses. Methods emphasizing this performative aspect of sources are discussed in relation to an interpretation of sources informed by Clifford Geertz’ hermeneutic cultural history.
| Translated title of the contribution | The Past in Translation: The Role of Historical Sources in Poststructuralism |
|---|---|
| Original language | Danish |
| Journal | Den jyske historiker |
| Issue number | 88 |
| Pages (from-to) | 118-148 |
| Number of pages | 30 |
| ISSN | 0109-9280 |
| Publication status | Published - 2000 |
Keywords
- Faculty of Humanities
- Theory of history
- historiography
- the linguistic turn
- historical sources