On Boundaries and Areas in Local History Research

Abstract

Among the social sciences, history is characterised as the most particularising discipline - the discipline to the greatest extent studying the way definite actions, events and structures differ from time to time and place to place. A considerable part of Norwegian historical research deals with local areas, <i>kommuner</i> (municipalities), <i>fylker</i> (provinces) and other regions below the national level. This is true in part for history written as commissioned research for various administrative units, and in part for independent research at universities and colleges. In the first category the parish and the city community histories are the most numerous, in the other we must first and foremost count the many local history postgraduate theses by students of history.