Essay Prompt
Fernand Braudel famously described the history of events as "surface disturbances, crests of foam that the tides of history carry on their strong backs" (Braudel 1984, 21). He challenges his readers to look beyond these events and focus instead on the underlying currents of history.
In a well-structured essay, respond to the following questions:
- What are these "currents" that Braudel emphasizes? Based on your reading, identify and briefly explain each of them.
- How does Braudel underscore the significance of these currents in shaping history?
- What are the potential advantages and/or disadvantages for historians in adopting Braudel's "philosophy of history"?
Be sure to draw on specific sections of Braudel’s work (Braudel 1984, 17-24, 276-82, 335-74, 459-83, 500-4, 526-29, 543-44) to support your analysis with examples of how Braudel writes his history. NOTE: the pages refer to the pages printed in the actual pages not the PDF generated page numbers!
Additionally, you may consult two acceptable secondary sources (but are not required to read either of them, though it may help you!): Peter Burke’s essay, "Fernand Braudel," in The Annales School: Critical Assessments (Clark 1999, 111-123), and Burke’s chapter "The Age of Braudel" in The French Historical Revolution: The Annales School, 1929-89 (Burke 1990, 32-64), which provide further context to Braudel’s historiographical approach.
References:
Braudel, Fernand. 1992. The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II. Translated by Siân Reynolds. New York: Harper Collins. Burke, Peter. 1990. The French Historical Revolution: The Annales School, 1929-89. Cambridge: Polity Press. Burke, Peter. 1999. "Fernand Braudel." In The Annales School: Critical Assessments, edited by Stuart Clark, vol. 3, 111-123. London: Routledge.
Essay Requirements
- Length: 750-900 words (approximately three double-spaced pages in 12-point Times New Roman font).
- Citations: Include properly formatted in-text citations and a bibliography in Chicago Author-Date Style. The bibliography does not count toward the word limit.
- Submission: Submit your essay on Canvas as either a Google Doc or PDF.
- Evaluation: Your essay will be evaluated based on the criteria outlined in the course rubric document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O-PTHMha6CrIxlCwTCEJzKQeOKey-Q6A0BERnGcIcd8/edit?usp=sharing. Please refer to this document for detailed information on how your essay will be assessed.
- Your essay will be scanned through Turnitin for AI usage and plagiarism.
Your essays will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Does the essay have a clear, specific, and nuanced thesis statement?
- Does the thesis directly address the essay prompt and accurately reflect the ideas in the readings?
- Does the essay provide a coherent overall understanding of the work(s) discussed?
- Is the essay organized in a clear and logical manner that effectively defends the thesis, without unnecessary tangents or irrelevant information?
- Is the writing clear and concise?
- Does the essay use evidence from the readings to support its arguments?
- Does the paper adhere to the conventions of English grammar and usage, including proper footnotes and a correctly formatted bibliography?