Description
In his distinguished career as a historian of modern France, John Merriman has published ten books and scores of scholarly articles. This volume collects some of his most notable and significant explorations of French history and culture.
In a wide-ranging introduction Merriman reflects on his decades of research and on his life, lived increasingly in France. At the beginning of his career he was determined to be not a narrow specialist but a historian who engaged with all the regions of France. So he set himself the goal of doing archival research in every single departement of the country. A permanent resident of the small village of Balazuc in the Ardeche for more than twenty-five years, he laments what he sees as the over-professionalization of history at the expense of passion for one's field. Yet Merriman is no cranky, tweed-bound scholar. Beloved by generations of historians of France, many of whom he has mentored (both as a graduate advisor and more informally), Merriman offers reflections on his life in history that will be of interest to a broad audience of historians.
About the Author
John Merriman (1946-2022) was the Charles Seymour Professor of History at Yale University. He wrote and edited many works on French and European history, including, most recently, Ballad of the Anarchist Bandits: The Crime Spree that Gripped Belle Epoque Paris; Massacre: The Life and Death of the Paris Commune; and The Dynamite Club: How a Bombing in Fin-de-Siecle Paris Ignited the Age of Modern Terror. Merriman won the 2017 American Historical Association's Award for Scholarly Distinction for lifetime achievement.
Reviews
"The work as a whole makes clear the passions that have driven Merriman's work."-Jill Harsin, H-France
"The work of Merriman over the past half century, like that of his social history colleagues, has enriched our study of the past enormously and, as these essays suggest, we have good cause to celebrate his achievement."-Malcolm Crook, French History
"This beautiful collection charts John Merriman's trajectory from graduate student to one of our finest historians. Merriman's brilliant autobiographical reflection is both evocative and hilarious; it is imbued with his conviction that the best social history is infused with first-hand, subtle familiarity with place and culture."-Peter McPhee, emeritus professor and former provost of the University of Melbourne
"Leave it to John Merriman to treat us to his personal and remarkable tour de France, which has taken him from Paris to Limoges to Perpignan to Balazuc and back. To join Merriman on his tour is to smell, touch, and taste the earthy terroir that has created Francophiles for generations."-James B. Collins, professor of history at Georgetown University and author of The State in Early Modern France
Book Information
ISBN 9780803295896
Author John Merriman
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint University of Nebraska Press
Publisher University of Nebraska Press
In a wide-ranging introduction Merriman reflects on his decades of research and on his life, lived increasingly in France. At the beginning of his career he was determined to be not a narrow specialist but a historian who engaged with all the regions of France. So he set himself the goal of doing archival research in every single departement of the country. A permanent resident of the small village of Balazuc in the Ardeche for more than twenty-five years, he laments what he sees as the over-professionalization of history at the expense of passion for one's field. Yet Merriman is no cranky, tweed-bound scholar. Beloved by generations of historians of France, many of whom he has mentored (both as a graduate advisor and more informally), Merriman offers reflections on his life in history that will be of interest to a broad audience of historians.
About the Author
John Merriman (1946-2022) was the Charles Seymour Professor of History at Yale University. He wrote and edited many works on French and European history, including, most recently, Ballad of the Anarchist Bandits: The Crime Spree that Gripped Belle Epoque Paris; Massacre: The Life and Death of the Paris Commune; and The Dynamite Club: How a Bombing in Fin-de-Siecle Paris Ignited the Age of Modern Terror. Merriman won the 2017 American Historical Association's Award for Scholarly Distinction for lifetime achievement.
Reviews
"The work as a whole makes clear the passions that have driven Merriman's work."-Jill Harsin, H-France
"The work of Merriman over the past half century, like that of his social history colleagues, has enriched our study of the past enormously and, as these essays suggest, we have good cause to celebrate his achievement."-Malcolm Crook, French History
"This beautiful collection charts John Merriman's trajectory from graduate student to one of our finest historians. Merriman's brilliant autobiographical reflection is both evocative and hilarious; it is imbued with his conviction that the best social history is infused with first-hand, subtle familiarity with place and culture."-Peter McPhee, emeritus professor and former provost of the University of Melbourne
"Leave it to John Merriman to treat us to his personal and remarkable tour de France, which has taken him from Paris to Limoges to Perpignan to Balazuc and back. To join Merriman on his tour is to smell, touch, and taste the earthy terroir that has created Francophiles for generations."-James B. Collins, professor of history at Georgetown University and author of The State in Early Modern France
Book Information
ISBN 9780803295896
Author John Merriman
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint University of Nebraska Press
Publisher University of Nebraska Press
