History on the Margins

John Merriman, the Charles Seymour Professor of History

(University of Nebraska Press)

This volume collects some of John Merriman’s most notable and significant explorations of French history and culture.

In a wide-ranging introduction Merriman reflects on his decades of research and on his life, lived increasingly in France. At the beginning of his career he was determined not to be a narrow specialist but a historian who engaged with all the regions of France. So he set himself the goal of doing archival research in every single département of the country. A permanent resident of the small village of Balazuc in the Ardèche for more than 25 years, he laments what he sees as the over-professionalization of history at the expense of passion for one’s field.