Annalesiskola

The Annales school, also known as the Annales School of History, is a prominent French approach to historical study that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s. Founded by a group of historians at the University of Strasbourg, including Marc Bloch, Lucien Febvre, and Fernand Braudel, the school sought to break away from traditional, narrative-driven historical writing. Instead, it emphasized the use of interdisciplinary methods to analyze long-term social, economic, and cultural trends.

The Annales school introduced several key innovations to historical research. One of its central ideas was the rejection of the linear, event-based chronicle in favor of a more holistic, thematic approach. Historians associated with the school focused on broader patterns, such as climate, demographics, and mentalities, rather than isolated political or military events. They also encouraged the integration of other disciplines, including geography, sociology, and economics, to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the past.

Marc Bloch and Lucien Febvre, the initial leaders of the movement, published the influential journal *Annales d'histoire économique et sociale* in 1929, which became the namesake of the school. Bloch’s works, such as *The Royal Touch: The Sacrament of Kingship in France* (1924), explored social structures and rituals, while Febvre’s *The Problem of Unbelief in the Sixteenth Century* (1924) examined religious and intellectual shifts. Fernand Braudel, who took over the journal in 1949, further developed the school’s methods in works like *The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II* (1949), which analyzed long-duration historical processes, including economic and environmental factors.

The Annales school had a significant impact on historical scholarship worldwide, influencing the development of social history, cultural history, and the study of mentalities. Its emphasis on long-term trends, interdisciplinary research, and the importance of non-political factors reshaped how historians approached the past. While the school evolved over time, its foundational principles continue to inform contemporary historical research.