For all of the recent debates over the methods and theoretical underpinnings of the historical profession, scholars and laypeople alike still frequently think of history in terms of storytelling. Accordingly, historians and theorists have devoted much attention to how historical narratives work, illuminating the ways they can bind together events, shape an argument and lend support to ideology. From ancient Greece to modern-day bestsellers, the studies gathered here offer a wide-ranging analysis of the textual strategies used by historians. They show how in spite of the pursuit of truth and objectivity, the ways in which historians tell their stories are inevitably conditioned by their discursive contexts.

“This is an important and timely volume, which will play a very useful role in reflection on and teaching about history. It wisely forces us to link the scholarly, pedagogical, popular and digital aspects of making history through narrative.” • David Gary Shaw, Wesleyan University

“Truly needed and genuinely topical. There have been very few such empirical studies into concrete historical narratives and across different genres.” • Marek Tamm, Tallinn University

Stefan Berger is Professor of Social History and Director of the Institute for Social Movements at Ruhr University Bochum since 2011. He is also Executive Chair of the Foundation History of the Ruhr and Honorary Professor at Cardiff University in the UK.