Abstract
Typically, the works of Mark Gilderhus and Hannah Arendt would not draw comparison or likely even be referenced in defense of the same argument. However, in the context of historiography and historical analysis, Gilderhus’ History and Historians and Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil explore the role of the individual in the agency of historical events and the nature of historical analysis itself. Gilderhus utilizes a variety of anecdotes from significant historical individuals to frame his historiographical introduction. Arendt capitalizes on her position as a subjective party in retelling the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a mid-level Nazi and logistic figurehead of the Holocaust, sparking a large consideration of controversy. Although Hannah Arendt and Mark Gilderhus possessed varied arguments and aims in these two works, both provide complementary perspectives regarding the complexity of analyzing historical events.
Recommended Citation
Stanger, Abigail M.
(2021)
"An Analysis of Individualism in Historiography through Mark Gilderhus and Hannah Arendt,"
The Cardinal Edge: Vol. 1:
Iss.
3, Article 5.
Available at:
https://ir.library.louisville.edu/tce/vol1/iss3/5
Included in
Holocaust and Genocide Studies Commons, Intellectual History Commons, Jewish Studies Commons