Alltagsgeschichte

Alltagsgeschichte is a form of microhistory that was particularly prevalent amongst German historians during the 1980s. It was founded by historians Alf Luedtke and Hans Medick.

The name comes from German, where Alltag means "everyday life"; it can thus be roughly translated as "everyday history".

In this sense, Alltagsgeschichte can be considered part of the wider Marxian historical school of 'history from below'.

The purpose of Alltagsgeschichte is to find and prove the links between the down-to-earth, everyday, basic experiences of ordinary people in a society, and the broad social and political changes which occur in that society. Because this is such a massively broad endeavour to undertake, it can only feasibly be practised on the most minute of scales. Thus Alltagsgeschichte becomes a form of microhistory.

Its leading exponents include Paul Veyne and Michel Rouche in France, and Peter Carr in the UK.

Alltagsgeschichte can also be linked to the Italian historical doctrine of Microstoria (Microhistory).

Publications

• The History of Everyday Life by German historian Alf Lüdtke.
• Alltagsgeschichte - ein Bericht von unterwegs", by Alf Lüdtke, in: Historische Anthropologie No. 11 (2003), pp. 278-295.
• A History of Private life: from Pagan Rome to Byzantium Paul Veyne, Ed. (Editions du Seuil, 1985)
• Portavo: an Irish Townland and its Peoples parts One and Two, by Peter Carr (White Row, 2003 and 2005)
• The History of Everyday Life: A second chapter", by Paul Steege, Andrew Bergerson, Maureen Healy and Pamela E. Swett, in: The Journal of Modern History, No. 80 (June 2008), pp. 358-378.

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