Carr and Bloch: Historiographical Dialogues on the Nature and Craft of History

This article explores the historiographical contributions of E.H. Carr and Marc Bloch, two of the most influential historians of the twentieth century. Carr, in What is History? (1961), redefined the discipline as a dialogue between the past and the present, emphasizing the historian’s role in shaping historical facts. Bloch, in The Historian’s Craft (1949), advanced a methodological revolution through the Annales School, highlighting the importance of comparative history, collective mentalities, and the longue durée.By comparing their perspectives, the article demonstrates how Carr provided a philosophical framework for understanding history, while Bloch offered a methodological toolkit for writing it. Together, their legacies continue to inspire contemporary historiography by rejecting positivist notions of “objective facts” and stressing interpretation, interdisciplinarity, and critical inquiry.