What’s a nice narrative historian like me doing at a conference like this?

Abstract

This is the text of a talk I was scheduled to deliver at a Wesleyan University conference in April 2020 (canceled due to Covid-19) devoted to the memory and work of Hayden White. Based on issues surrounding the relationship of an innovative historical narrative to the work of theorists, and White, in particular, it argues that innovation arises from a nontheoretical mindset, but needs interaction with theorists as a commentary on the new forms of history innovation proposes.