Abstract

LEON, Paulo César. Luhmann: An Analysis of his Theories about History and the Historian's Craf. Hist. graf [online]. 2012, n.39, pp.125-145. ISSN 1405-0927.

This essay addresses fundamental questions in historicism and historiography by analyzing the theory of evolution posited by the German intellectual Niklas Luhmann. One line of thinking dictates that evolution is history, and history is a story about evolution-about how things evolve over time. Placing this theory of evolution within Luhmann's social system framework, however, leads to a different conclusion: history may be about the evolutionary order of certain things, but evolution in and of itself is not history. The essay explores the implications of this assertion for understanding the role of the historian and history, more broadly. It examines key concepts and places them in dialogue with other intellectuals, such as Pierre Bourdieu, to draw conclusions that contribute to the historiographical debates on the subject.

Keywords : Niklas Luhmann; historiography; constructivism; Pierre Bourdieu.

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