My introduction to historicism was through Marxists and neo-Marxists,
Althuserian Marxists, anti-Althuserian Marxists, and African Marxists and
African Socialism, etc. Having sorted all that through, I found Habermas and
Marcuse and wended my way through critical theory. While still scratching
my head, I found that I was completely passe and that I should have been
reading the lit crit folks at home and abroad rather than fooling around
with philosophers and historians. I never crossed the great divide of modern
to post-modern rhetoric--and that may well be my struggle at the moment. I
still believe that it is entirely possible to recognize the importance of the
particular to the most exacting expression of reality--especially a
degraded or surpressed instance of the particular e.g., 'black history' or
'women's history', without adopting post-modern content or style. Without pomo
I still find that 'mapping tropes across rather than in
context, as historians would...' or would attempt to, is also sometimes
quite useful as our recent discussion of tribe and ethinicity would appear to
demonstrate. I am also thinking of Pan-Africanism as expressed both on and off
the continent, or the African connection that is so often cultivated like a
lovely brogue to the point where the realities of the connection are lost in
the pagentry of the contrived display. The display has its own meaning.
Somewhere somebody must have said, unless it is wishful thinking on my own part
that post-modernism isn't much more than a belated attempt to resurrect
existentialism from a well deserved grave.... Perhaps it is an ornate dodge
to avoid having their work condemned as 'crudely historicist.'
No Chris, my appeal to historians for definitional assistance was quite
purposeful. If this has not been too much of a ramble, perhaps it will trigger
more useful thoughts from you. I will leave it to Dr. Marcus to put or not put
it out on the list though I am certain that one or two of the other regular
contributers might have something to add.
Again thanks so much for helping me think through this even further.--mary