Global Conceptual History

Reviews / Votes

Moving from classic essays on the contours of conceptual history to the prospect of the globalization of this approach - and challenges it must surmount - this excellent volume provides readers a superlative introduction to how a field is adapting itself for a new historiographical moment. Margrit Pernau and Dominic Sachsenmaier deserve considerable thanks for so artfully curating a collection that will inform scholars and educate students about what makes Reinhart Koselleck's Begriffsgeschichte distinctive, just as it will prompt them to reflect on whether the approach is up to the challenge of a necessarily multilingual global space. * Samuel Moyn, Harvard University, USA, and coeditor, Global Intellectual History * Global Conceptual History provides an essential foundation for realizing the transnational and global potential of the field. From key discussions of methodology by Koselleck and Reichhardt to finely researched investigations of the history of concepts in the Middle East, South Asia, and elsewhere, the collection makes the case that conceptual history should be conducted on a global scale with the problem of translation at its heart. * Christopher L. Hill, University of Michigan, USA * This volume offers compelling confirmation of the coming of age of conceptual history which, although a branch of study that emanated from Europe, has now become truly transnational. The transfer, modification, and redescription of concepts-through the languages in which they are embedded-shape both vernacular and professional interpretations of social and political realities across cultures and through time. The editors are to be congratulated for assembling an excellent collection of essays that combine the theoretical roots of conceptual history with illuminating case-studies. It is an important and highly recommended introduction to the increasing variety and subtlety of the field. * Michael Freeden, University of Oxford, UK *