When social and cultural changes accelerate, interest in knowledge of the past is revitalized. Thus, in recent decades we have experienced the phenomenon of the explosion of memory, the dizzying expansion of interest in the past, especially the recent past, which has taken the form of museums, exhibitions, historical cinema, television documentaries, recreations of events. of the past, publication of memoirs and, of course, books and articles, both academic and informative. Perhaps the explanation for this phenomenon is that, at the age in which daily life changes so quickly, people feel disoriented. One way to resist change is to cling to memories of the past, looking back at history to orient yourself in the present. There are those who think that it is preferable that the past – or at least some events of the past – continue to be forgotten, but even those who would like to bury it are now forced to enter into an open debate, with strong public and social connotations. It has never been so essential to understand the past.

Synthetic and accessible, this manual offers the reader a documented introduction to the history of History, the product of the teaching of four prestigious teachers and researchers (Jaume Aurell, Peter Burke, Catalina Balmaceda and Felipe Soza) of different nationalities and different continents. The resulting work is destined to become a reference work for future generations of historians.