Reflections on History from Below

Resumo

There are, in my view, six essential elements of history from below. First, the project takes working people as the primary subjects of study. Second, history from below focuses on power, oppression, and resistance, which is to say, history from below is always connected to history from above. Third and fourth, history from below seeks to understand the experience and consciousness of working people, what they go through, how they think, and why they act in their social worlds. Fifth, historians from below always try to recover the voices of their subjects, to let them speak for themselves whenever and wherever possible. Sixth and finally, history from below sees working people not only as subjects, but as makers of history, as James, Thompson, and many others have taught us.