This essay, written in the context of the seminar 'Historians & Ideology,' traces the origins of ... more This essay, written in the context of the seminar 'Historians & Ideology,' traces the origins of medieval pirate Paul Beneke, as a popular 19th and 20th century folk hero, to the 1882 historical fiction novel 'Der Peter von Danzig' by German naval officer Reinhold von Werner. The narrative and historical knowledge contained in the novel is studied within the context of Von Werner's life, linking it to his career in Prussian-, North German- and Imperial navy; his political writings and the historical sources that were available to him. Through this analysis the curious mix of fact and fiction of the novel can be understood. This contributes the the understanding of the Paul Beneke mythos: a collection of folk historical stories that were popular between 1882 and 1944. Traces of which can still be found in popular history today.
In this essay (written in the context of a Historical Theory course), I adress the use of Rationa... more In this essay (written in the context of a Historical Theory course), I adress the use of Rational Choice Theory (RCT) in historical analysis. Rather than delving deeply in to this method I argue that RCT is better discussed by approaching it as what it is on the foundational level: a method for constructing action explanations. In part I, I ask if historians are actually using action explanations. In part II, I argue that action explanations can be used in a critical manner.
This essay, written in the context of the seminar 'Historians & Ideology,' traces the origins of ... more This essay, written in the context of the seminar 'Historians & Ideology,' traces the origins of medieval pirate Paul Beneke, as a popular 19th and 20th century folk hero, to the 1882 historical fiction novel 'Der Peter von Danzig' by German naval officer Reinhold von Werner. The narrative and historical knowledge contained in the novel is studied within the context of Von Werner's life, linking it to his career in Prussian-, North German- and Imperial navy; his political writings and the historical sources that were available to him. Through this analysis the curious mix of fact and fiction of the novel can be understood. This contributes the the understanding of the Paul Beneke mythos: a collection of folk historical stories that were popular between 1882 and 1944. Traces of which can still be found in popular history today.
In this essay (written in the context of a Historical Theory course), I adress the use of Rationa... more In this essay (written in the context of a Historical Theory course), I adress the use of Rational Choice Theory (RCT) in historical analysis. Rather than delving deeply in to this method I argue that RCT is better discussed by approaching it as what it is on the foundational level: a method for constructing action explanations. In part I, I ask if historians are actually using action explanations. In part II, I argue that action explanations can be used in a critical manner.
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