Blackwell Reference Online

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Fernand Braudel was the leading figure of the so-called second generation of the Annales School or historiographic tradition, a tradition that distinguished itself from the outset by its emphasis on what it called “total history.” Within this tradition, Braudel's work is noted for four major emphases: (1) concern with the unit of analysis, and in particular with a construct he called a “world-economy” ( économie-monde ); (2) analysis of social temporalities, which he asserted to be multiple, and in particular that of the longue durée ; (3) his insistence on interscience, which refers to his concern with breaking down the barriers between history and the other social sciences (sociology, geography, political science, and economics); and (4) an interpretation of economic life that drew a sharp and unusual distinction between the market and capitalism. Braudel was a prolific author. He is known especially for three major works, each multi-volume: The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II (1972; in French 1966); Capitalism and Civilization, 15th–18th Centuries (1981–4; in French 1979); and the unfinished Identity of France (1988–90; in French 1986). The exposition of his epistemological views is, however, primarily to be found in his essays, which exist in various collected versions. His concept of a world-economy ( économie-monde ) is different in ... log in or subscribe to read full text