Imagined Histories: American Historians Interpret the Past

This collection of essays by twenty-one distinguished American historians reflects on a peculiarly American way of imagining the past. At a time when history-writing has changed dramatically, the authors discuss the birth and evolution of historiography in this country, from its origins in the late nineteenth century through its present, more cosmopolitan character.


In the book's first part, concerning recent historiography, are chapters on exceptionalism, gender, economic history, social t...