historisme

Historisme refers to several related intellectual currents that place historical context at the center of understanding human beings, cultures and societies. It denotes a general attitude that past forms, practices and institutions must be interpreted on their own terms, rather than judged by modern universal standards. Although the term is used in different disciplines, its core idea is the primacy of history in explaining social life, art, science and law.

In historiography, historicisme is associated with the emergence of a historically oriented method in the 19th century. Proponents such as Leopold von Ranke advocated describing the past “as it actually happened,” relying on primary sources and contextual analysis rather than abstract theories. The aim was to uncover the unique logic and development of each historical period.

In philosophy and the social sciences, historicisme denotes the view that knowledge, norms and social institutions are historically conditioned. This stance often challenges the possibility of universal, timeless laws applicable across eras and cultures. Later forms, including Dilthey's hermeneutics and certain Italian and German writers, argued that the sciences of human life (Geisteswissenschaften) require interpretive methods rooted in historical appreciation.

In art, architecture and culture, historicisme describes movements that revived past styles and motifs. 19th-century historicist architecture and design sought to express national or stylistic identities by reimagining Gothic, Renaissance or classical forms. Critics note that such revivalism reflected broader political and cultural currents, including nationalism and romanticism, while also shaping modern taste and preservation.

Historicism has drawn critique for encouraging relativism or for conflating style with substance. Nonetheless, its emphasis on context and historical change remains influential in historiography, cultural studies and the study of law, architecture and literature, where period-specific meanings are considered essential to interpretation.