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Economic History and Cliometrics: the Stand of the last Samurai

Author

Listed:
  • Claude Diebolt

    (BETA/CNRS & University of Strasbourg
    University of Wisconsin-La Crosse)

Abstract

The job of an army is to wage war. The ancient samurai warrior and a modern soldier do the same job using different approaches. The job of an economic historian is to tell stories about the past. The old guard of the economic history discipline and the new wave of practitioners, referred to as “cliometricians,” do the same job in different ways and have at times clashed with one another over these differences. In the same way, the Satsuma Rebellion was a clash between the samurai and the modern army. This is the story of the evolution of economic history, the revolution that sparked a divide, and how the strengths of each party make the discipline stronger. It is told against the backdrop of the Satsuma rebellion, popularized in the film The Last Samurai.
(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)

Suggested Citation

  • Claude Diebolt, 2023. "Economic History and Cliometrics: the Stand of the last Samurai," Working Papers 05-23, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC).
    • Handle: RePEc:afc:wpaper:05-23
    as

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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Claude Diebolt & Michael Haupert, 2022. "Cliometrics and the Future of Economic History," Working Papers of BETA 2022-23, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    2. Peter Temin, 2014. "Economic History and Economic Development: New Economic History in Retrospect and Prospect," NBER Working Papers 20107, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. McCloskey, Donald N, 1976. "Does the Past Have Useful Economics?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 14(2), pages 434-461, June.
    4. Redlich, Fritz, 1965. "“New” and Traditional Approaches to Economic History and Their Interdependence," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 25(4), pages 480-495, December.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • A1 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics
    • A2 - General Economics and Teaching - - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics
    • A32 - General Economics and Teaching - - Multisubject Collective Works - - - Collective Volumes
    • N01 - Economic History - - General - - - Development of the Discipline: Historiographical; Sources and Methods

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