Historical past, historiographical present: notes on Michel de Certeau' "Histoire et Structure"

Abstract

Michel de Certeau’s essay “Histoire et Structure” develops a reflection on the historian’s practice, something that he takes as a problem that deserves a careful analysis. In this text, Certeau discusses the tension generated by the historian’s confrontation with the otherness of past events. More specifically, he explores the effects of “structuralist” thought on such tension. This article takes Certeau’s considerations on the issue as a still relevant base from which to think on both historical writing and the human experience of time. It will explore Certeau’s insights and place them in relation a broader project of his, namely the criticism of historiographical practice.