Transnational History and the History of a Nation: The Case of Estonia

K Brüggemann

doi:10.3176/hist.2021.1.01

Abstract

Transnational History and the History of a Nation: The Case of Estonia

Highlights

“In some ways”, the Irish historian Niall Whelehan wrote, “talking about transnational Irish history is stating the obvious.”[1]
It outlines the general ideas behind the concept of transnational history, the historiographical debates surrounding it, and the place of Eastern Europe within the field
In a similar vein, this is true of Estonia

Summary

Introduction

“In some ways”, the Irish historian Niall Whelehan wrote, “talking about transnational Irish history is stating the obvious.”[1]. The country’s geographic location at the crossroads of ancient and contemporary trade routes makes Estonia a fine example for studying interconnectedness and transcultural influences, the charms of the transnational approach have not yet received the attention they deserve among Estonian historians, something that makes the country similar to Ireland.[5] The resilience of the nation-state framework for writing Estonian history is remarkable – and at the same time explainable. Written sources are generally examples of intercultural perception that in their essence mirror transcultural processes It is, so to say, a transnational virtue in itself that recent Estonian historiography in general tends to view, for example the Teutonic Order and Catholic Church hierarchs as particular representations of the “local” resp. Seen as a pragmatic approach, a way of viewing, not backed by any kind of elaborated theory or particular method of research, there is a broad consensus that methodological openness is a virtue of transnational history.[16]

14 A Transnational Setting for Estonian History

66 The History of the European Union