Writing German History Biographically.

The twelve contributions to this Forum take up the methodological and theoretical question of how to write biographically. The Forum editors have taken care not to define biographic writing too rigorously, instead inviting the contributors—who range from recent graduates to senior scholars, and whose work spans nearly five centuries—to suggest interpretations informed by their writing. Some contributors consider past work or muse on methodological challenges; others describe ongoing work. Some identify their work with microhistory, which 'ask[s] large questions in small places' in search of broader historical interpretations; others explore possibilities offered by unusual source material or the limitations, and opportunities, presented by the destruction of documents. The approaches to writing biographically that are outlined here stand to enrich existing perspectives on German history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]