Regional history and political history: possible interfaces between two approaches

Abstract

This work addresses the transformation in the approach to History that occurred in 1929 with the creation of the Revista dos Annales, led by Marc Bloch and Lucien Febvre. This paradigmatic shift broke with the tradition of focusing only on major historical events and figures, adopting a broader, interdisciplinary approach that incorporated anthropology, sociology, and geography into historical analysis. Political history, which had been disregarded by the Annales, underwent a revival in the 1970s, reintroducing it as an important field of study. It also highlights the importance of considering the regional dimension in the analysis of political history, recognizing that the politician creates his own spatiality and that regional politics plays a significant role in the formation of identities and specific political practices. The regional approach enriches our understanding of politics by connecting the particular to the universal, allowing for a more complete and interdisciplinary analysis of historical phenomena. In summary, the text emphasizes the importance of considering the interconnection between regional history and political history for a deeper understanding of society over time.