BTNG
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RBHC, XLI, 2011, 3-4, pp. 323-353
Pirenne and economic and social theory:
influences, methods and reception
ERIK THOEN
1
Gewoon Hoogleraar – Universiteit Gent
ERIC VANHAUTE
__________________________________________________Hoogleraar – Universiteit Gent
Henri Pirenne (1862-1935) is still regarded as one of Belgium's most impor-
tant historians. During his life and after his death in 1935 he has remained
popular with many groups of historians for two reasons: they either wish to
refer to his theories, or contradict his opinions. In the last case, he is usually
considered a 'child of his time'. However, he is rarely situated in the correct
historical context, and those who judge him reveal more about themselves
and their own temporal contexts than about Pirenne and his era.
The goal of this article is twofold: on the one hand, we aim to examine and
clarify the origins of his methodology and ideas, in order to establish a
starting point for new research. Then we will briefly summarise the influence
of his work on economic history up to the present day. We will show that his
methodological foundations and his genius as a writer were responsible for
his lasting historiographical success, even now as his methodology enjoys a
certain revival.
To reconstruct the influences on his methodology and ideas over the
course of his career, we have consulted the huge body of his historiographical
writing, in particular some published letters, methodological articles and, last
but not least, the notes he wrote while he was imprisoned in Germany during
the First World War (dating back to 1917).
2
Bryce and Mary Lyon, along
with Pirenne's son, published these notes as mémoires d'un solitaire.
3
We
anticipate that thorough study of his entire personal archive will modify or
nuance the tentative conclusions we draw below.
1.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Erik Thoen:
erik.thoen@ugent.be or to Eric Vanhaute: eric.vanhaute@ugent.be
2.
Most of this is available on the Internet thanks to the Digithèque of the University of
Brussels (ULB) that stores Pirenne's personal archives. The Digithèque of the Free University
of Brussels (ULB) has published most (not all) of the texts written by Pirenne on the Internet
(see: http//digitheque.ulb.ac.be). Warning: In the Digithèque, the pages are re-numbered, so
the page numbers do not match the originals. Unless otherwise mentioned, in this article we
refer to the page numbers from the Digithèque.
3.
Bryce Lyon and Mary Lyon (1994), Réflexions d'un solitaire by Henri Pirenne (hereafter:
Pirenne, 1917).
[324]
E. THOEN / E. VANHAUTE
1.
THE BIRTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF
PIRENNE'S GENERAL METHODOLOGY FOR
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL HISTORY
To understand Pirenne as an economic historian, we must situate him within
the evolution of 'economic history' as a discipline. When Pirenne began his
career in the 1880s and 1890s, 'economic history' had just become a separate
discipline. In history, the main focus remained on political and institutional
history which, during the 19th century, had been the first disciplines in the
historical field to adopt the methodology of the positive sciences. Judicial
history followed quickly, although, to use Pirenne's own words, this disci-
pline derived from Romanticism and nationalism to which it was connected
(Pirenne, 1917, 209). Leopold von Ranke (1795-1886) was probably the most
prominent (German) representative of this 'school'. Shortly afterwards, while
Pirenne was just a student, other disciplines of historical science – such as
palaeography and diplomatics – were developing in the same way, particu-
larly in France, where Pirenne went to study these methodological 'auxiliary'
sciences. However, economic history was still developing towards a full
discipline within the field of history during Pirenne's studies and early career.
He contributed to its development as a mature discipline of history.
It was only at the end of the 19th century that economic history became a
recognised scientific discipline. However, the 'birth' of this 'historical' disci-
pline did not take place among historians, but within the field of 'economics'.
4
Under the influence of positivism, scholars applied methods used in the
positive (or hard) sciences to study human behaviour, both in terms of
economics and sociology. At the turn of the century, historians were still very
sceptical about positivism and its uses in history, because they doubted if
there were laws to be discovered in historical processes. Their aversion to
positivist influences gradually changed, as scholars began to introduce
history itself into the application and interpretation of positivist methods, first
in economics and later in history. Pirenne played an important part in this
evolution.
The birth of this change was in Germany (and not in France or the Anglo-
Saxon world), hard as this is to believe today, when economic history has
practically disappeared in that country. Pirenne was highly influenced by
4.
The discipline of economics itself was still evolving as well. Born in the late 18th century
out of 'moral philosophy', it was called 'political economy' until the late 19th century. Only
then was the term generally replaced by 'economics', especially among neo-classical
economists working on mathematical and axiomatic bases (Wings, 1973).