Introduction

Abstract

This chapter begins with a brief sketch of the history of Protestant Dissent in post-Reformation England. It then introduces the influential tradition of denominational historiography, before examining how this ‘vertical’ approach to Dissenting history has been critiqued by historians who take a ‘horizontal’ approach—focusing on the politics of religion in a specific era or moment. Whiggish, teleological, and partisan histories of Anglicanism and Dissent have been displaced by histories that stress political contingency and the fluidity of post-Reformation religious identities. The chapter argues that historians should not overreact to the excesses of denominational historiography; they should recognize that the Stuart era did witness the formation of Dissenting denominations, as religious communities went to great lengths to sharpen the boundaries of group identity. It concludes by surveying recent trends in the historiography, including work on scholarly editions, dissenting women, the literature of dissent, lay experience, theology, exile, and migration.