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Key research themes
1. How have Norman historiographical works evolved through medieval to early modern periods and what new methodologies and narratives did they introduce?
This research theme investigates the development, adaptation, and transmission of Norman historiographical texts from the early medieval period through the fifteenth century, highlighting shifts in narrative style, source usage, methodological approaches, and the emerging role of Norman historians and chroniclers. It also considers the broader cultural and intellectual contexts in which these works were produced, including vernacular traditions, early humanist influences, and historiographical practices in Norman-dominated regions beyond Normandy itself. This theme matters because it illuminates how localized Norman historical writing both reflected and shaped medieval and early modern historical consciousness and identity, and how these texts interacted with broader European historiographic traditions.
Key finding: This paper presents the first modern analysis, edition, and translation of Simon de Plumetot's Brevis Cronica, a fifteenth-century Norman vernacular historiographical text that, despite its fragmentary form, significantly... Read more
Key finding: This study traces how Symeon of Durham, an Anglo-Norman ecclesiastic chronicler, nurtured and reshaped the memoria of Bede through his Libellus de exordio and related writings, thereby positioning Bede as a foundational... Read more
2. What are the philosophical and epistemological challenges and developments in historiography relevant to Norman and broader historical writing?
This theme focuses on the theoretical inquiries into historiographical knowledge, including the metaphysical and epistemological issues underlying historical truth, narrative construction, and the evaluation of historical interpretations. It engages with debates around historiographical normativity beyond correspondence truth, the limits of historical realism, the role of narrative synthesis in historiographical argumentation, and the ongoing conflict between relativism and objectivism in assessing the validity of historical narratives. Understanding these philosophical foundations is crucial for refining methodologies in Norman historiography and beyond, facilitating critical engagement with both source material and secondary syntheses.
Key finding: Challenges the conservative historiographical realism that insists on a strict correspondence theory of truth for settling disputes between conflicting narratives; proposes a new normative standard centered on Catherine... Read more
Key finding: Advances a postnarrativist approach to historiography that transcends the polarizing absolutist historical realism and relativist postmodernism, conceptualizing historical studies as informal rational arguments residing... Read more
Key finding: Identifies a fundamental metaphysical challenge to historiography—the absence of discernible truth-makers for historiographical claims—which transcends epistemological debates about evidence and inferential justification. The... Read more
3. How do narratives, media, and historical representation methods impact historiographical practice and public history concerning Norman history and beyond?
This theme explores the interaction between different narrative forms, media technologies, and historiographical methods in shaping perceptions of history, particularly in relation to Norman history as a case study. It considers the role of film and cinematic representation as historical discourse, debates over historiographical methodology and scholarly norms as exemplified in the critique of history wars, and the plurality of pasts conceived through various explanatory frameworks. This is significant for understanding how historiography extends beyond texts to influence public knowledge and academic discourse about the Norman past and medieval history generally.
Key finding: This paper foregrounds the importance of cinema and film as vital, yet understudied, mediums for historical representation and pedagogy, emphasizing the unique challenges posed by moving images for historians accustomed to... Read more
Key finding: Analyzes the methodological standards applied by Keith Windschuttle in his critique of Australian historians, illustrating contested interpretations surrounding the use of sources, citation, and scholarly norms. The paper... Read more
Key finding: Argues against monolithic conceptions of history centered solely on events by emphasizing the methodological and metaphysical plurality of 'pasts' that historiography can address, including non-event-centered subjects such as... Read more