Micro, Macro, Agency: Historical Ethnography as Cultural Anthropology Practice

In its current form of "European ethnology," Volkskunde is increasingly conceptualized as a Europe-oriented study of the present. As a result, historical research is often limited to those periods considered part of the European "modern," and may be restricted to uses that illuminate the present. In contrast, this article advocates an open approach to cultural anthropology, particularly with respect to historical research. It outlines ways in which the new focus perpetuates old fault lines within the discipline and ways in which they may be bridged. It discusses ways in which the themes of "micro," "macro," and "agency" have played out in the author's own work, but it also highlights the real differences between works focused on the present and the past.