Metahistory

About “Metahistory”

Metahistory: The Historical Imagination in Nineteenth-century Europe is a work of historiography by Hayden White, first published in 1973. In the introduction, White states that his analysis of the deep structure of the historical imagination in nineteenth-century Europe aims to offer a new perspective on the debate about the nature and function of historical knowledge. The book explores how historical writing is shaped by underlying structures and modes of representation. White's focus is on the conceptual frameworks that influence the way history is understood and presented. The work is part of a broader discussion on the role of narrative and interpretation in historical writing. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)