Introduction: The Quest for Interdisciplinary History

Klein and de Vries lament the erosion of the alliance between historians and social scientists that has taken place in recent decades. For Klein, the main reason for this change has been historians’ “turn” from the insights of the social sciences; for de Vries, it is the effects of the attempt by many historians to restore “narrative history.” Whatever the cause, neither scholar is optimistic about closing the gap between historians and social scientists.