Enlightenment Histories

It has long been understood that histories were central to the Era of the Enlightenment. Enlightenment histories not only broke new scholarly ground, but they also circulated widely with an expanding reading audience. Some works, such as David Hume’s History of England, were both innovative and became international bestsellers. Enlightenment Histories is a collection of complementary chapters from which to explore this intriguing field. With its international group of contributors (Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Ireland, Japan, UK, USA) this volume assembles a methodologically diverse collection of chapters ranging in their coverage from particular histories, to historiographical debates of the period, to different forms of historical writing that predominated. The discussions include the place of historical writings within the Enlightenment’s moral, philosophical, and political debates. In short, the volume highlights many distinctive features of Enlightenment histories, thereby illuminating their contemporary contexts and enduring significance.

Marc Hanvelt, Carleton University, Canada; Marc Gregory Spencer, Brock University, Canada; Mikko Sakari Tolonen, University of Helsinki, Finland.