Susanna Erlandsson

Unravelling the mechanisms of daily diplomacy in the mid-20th century, this book follows one Dutch diplomatic couple, the van Kleffens, on their postings from the 1930s to the 1950s to offer a new perspective on how non-officials and personal politics shaped the postwar world. Combining private and public source materials, Erlandsson foregrounds the political culture of diplomacy and highlights events and people which have been left off the official record. The book integrates the detailed study of behind-the-scenes diplomatic practice into the larger narrative of traditional diplomatic history, connecting social practices with political outcomes. Exploring how women’s tea drinking was used to achieve post-war foreign policy and how Rosa, a Guatemalan cook, contributed to the international standing of the Netherlands, it offers a more inclusive history by recognising the diplomatic work done by actors who were not diplomats. In doing so it demonstrates the ways in which diplomacy was class-bound, gendered and racialized, and proves that historicizing gender and cultural norms is crucial to understanding political and international history.

Unravelling the mechanisms of daily diplomacy in the mid-20th century, this book follows one Dutch diplomatic couple, the van Kleffens, on their postings from the 1930s to the 1950s to offer a new perspective on how non-officials and personal politics shaped the postwar world. Combining private and public source materials, Erlandsson foregrounds the political culture of diplomacy and highlights events and people which have been left off the official record. The book integrates the detailed study of behind-the-scenes diplomatic practice into the larger narrative of traditional diplomatic history, connecting social practices with political outcomes. Exploring how women’s tea drinking was used to achieve post-war foreign policy and how Rosa, a Guatemalan cook, contributed to the international standing of the Netherlands, it offers a more inclusive history by recognising the diplomatic work done by actors who were not diplomats. In doing so it demonstrates the ways in which diplomacy was class-bound, gendered and racialized, and proves that historicizing gender and cultural norms is crucial to understanding political and international history.

Historiska undersökningar handlar om hur man skriver historia, hur händelser i det förflutna ordnas till ett gripbart sammanhang. Den historiska undersökningen är inte vilken text som helst, den syftar till att besvara en fråga. Men hur ska en sådan fråga formuleras? Och hur ska den försvaras? Författarna resonerar här om hur en historievetenskaplig argumentation ser ut, vilka krav som ställs på framställningssättet, hur man använder metoder och källor, samt vad man ska tänka på då man kritiserar ett vetenskapligt arbete. I boken finns också en användbar begreppsguide där aktuella historieteoretiska begrepp och termer beskrivs. Denna tredje upplaga är grundligt reviderad och aktualiserad. Boken vänder sig främst till studenter på grundläggande nivå i historia, som för första gången ställs inför uppgiften att självständigt göra en historisk undersökning.