“THE NORMAL EXCEPTION”: EDOARDO GRENDI, MICROANALYSIS, AND GENERALIZATIONS*
Abstract
ABSTRACT “The normal exception” has long been a slogan of microhistory. This oxymoronic phrase is the iconic rendering of an incidental sentence that appeared in a 1977 article by Edoardo Grendi. His article, titled “Micro‐analisi e storia sociale” (Microanalysis and Social History), is cited more often than it is read. In this issue of History and Theory , Grendi's seminal article appears in English for the first time. This companion piece introduces Grendi's contribution by situating it within contemporary debates between historians and anthropologists. It also sheds light on the fate of the concept of “the normal exception” among its supporters and detractors. Finally, it clarifies some of the possibilities that other Italian microhistorians have laid out for deriving generalizations from case studies.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Biographical and Historical Analysis
Philosophy
History
and Historiography
Italian Fascism and Post-war Society
Publication details
- Journal / source
- History and Theory
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Volume
- 65
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 237–256
- Publication date
- 25 April 2026
- Language
- EN