Transnational Comparisons in Nineteenth-Century History: Theory and Case Studies(Routledge Approaches to History)

Comparative history is one of the most important methodologies of historical investigation taught in universities across the world. Recently, it has been enriched by the work of several scholars who combine the methodologies of comparative history and transnational history very effectively. This is the spirit behind Transnational Comparisons in Nineteenth-Century History: Theory and Case Studies, a book which emphasises the equal value of comparative and transnational historical investigations, but which also argues that every comparative study that looks beyond one nation is intrinsically transnational. Historians of the nineteenth century have been at the forefront of the research that has led to the current interest in both comparative and transnational approaches to the study of the past. Yet, if one wishes to write transnational comparisons focused on the nineteenth century, there are no specific guides for the methodology and practice of comparative history. This book provides scholars, researchers, and students working on the nineteenth century with a resource for comparative history in both theoretical and practical terms. It combines a methodological introduction with specific case-studies of transnational comparisons of individuals, groups, cities, events, processes, and beliefs within a Euro-American historical context.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: Transnational Comparisons in Nineteenth-Century History in Theory and Practice Part 1: Transnational Comparison of Historical Individuals 1. “We Cherished the Same Hostility to Every Form of Tyranny”: Transatlantic Parallels and Contacts between William Lloyd Garrison and Giuseppe Mazzini Part 2: Transnational Comparison of Historical Groups 2. American Slaveholders and Southern Italian Landowners in the Age of the “Second Slavery”: Economics, Labour Management, and Regional Politics Part 3: Transnational Comparison of Historical Cities 3.The City as Social Display: Agrarian Elites and Urban Images in Charleston and Palermo Part 4: Transnational Comparison of Historical Events 4.Emancipation from Slavery and Serfdom, and Land Rights: The Americas and Eastern Europe Compared Part 5: Transnational Comparison of Historical Processes 5. The U.S. Civil War Era, the Italian Risorgimento Era, and Nineteenth-Century Euro-American Nationalisms Part 6: Transnational Comparison of Historical Beliefs 6. Empires, Workers, and Saints: “Progressive Imperialism”, Working-Class Radicalism, and the Rise of New Millennial Cults in the United States and Italy in the 1870s. Conclusion

About the Author :
Enrico Dal Lago is Established Professor of History at the University of Galway. He is the author of seven books on slavery and transnational comparisons in the nineteenth-century Euro-American world, including Civil War and Agrarian Unrest: The Confederate South and Southern Italy (2018).

Review :
“Enrico Dal Lago is one of the foremost comparative and transnational historians whose work is brimming with original insights into transatlantic nineteenth and twentieth century rural and urban history, the history of nationalism, empire and slavery. His geographical focus is on the US and Italy, but also incorporates Eastern Europe. Anyone interested in these themes and regions of the world will find this book inspiring reading.” — Stefan Berger, Institute for Social Movements, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany