The Nineties: A Book

The Nineties is a work of cultural history, a genre of historical writing that emerged in the mid-20th century as a reaction to traditional forms of historical analysis. Unlike conventional political or economic histories, cultural history focuses on the beliefs, values, and practices that shape human societies over time. This approach seeks to understand how people in the past made sense of their world, examining everything from everyday habits to artistic expressions and intellectual trends.

The roots of cultural history can be traced back to the work of Dutch historian Johan Huizinga and his 1919 book The Autumn of the Middle Ages. Huizinga’s approach emphasized the importance of understanding the mentalities and sensibilities of people in the past, rather than focusing solely on political events or economic structures. This perspective laid the groundwork for what would later become cultural history as a distinct field.

In the 1960s and 1970s, cultural history gained prominence as part of the broader “cultural turn” in the humanities and social sciences. This shift was influenced by developments in anthropology, sociology, and literary criticism, which emphasized the importance of culture in shaping human experience. Scholars like Clifford Geertz, with his concept of “thick description,” argued for a more nuanced understanding of cultural practices and their meanings.