Quentin Skinner and History in the Humanities and Social Sciences
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18172/redur.6449Keywords:
Intellectual History, Humanities, Political PhilosophyAbstract
In the 1960s, a group of scholars emerged prominently in the academic landscape, distinguished by their adoption of a new approach focused on analyzing the illocutionary acts of language, with a strong emphasis on the importance of historical context for understanding the ideas that shape, among other things, political discourses. This contextual turn established itself as a hub of methodological innovation in the study of political thought and the approach to intellectual history. At the core of this tradition is Quentin Skinner, whose work has set a standard of excellence in the historical interpretation of political thought through the lens of intellectual history. His contribution in Chapter Eight of the book, History in the Humanities and Social Sciences, edited alongside Richard Bourke in 2002 by Cambridge University Press, titled, Political Philosophy and the Uses of History, reaffirms history as an essential critical tool for addressing the challenges of the twenty-first century and defends historicism in political philosophy. It highlights its capacity to understand political concepts within their historical context and the intentions of their authors. Furthermore, it demonstrates that history is not merely a record of the past but a living instrument for interpreting and shaping the present, consolidating the legacy of Skinner and his school as benchmarks of intellectual rigour and global relevance.
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