Micro-histories of Modern Europe

Paper Summary:

This essay explores Modern Europe and, more specifically, modern Italy, with a micro-historical magnifying glass. By exploring specific incidences and personal accounts, the micro-histories tell the stories that the macro-histories often overlook. By taking a detailed look at the "Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara," by David Kertzer, the Papal hierarchy and the changing tides in Europe, this essay highlights all the small steps that are taken in order to make giant leaps in history.

From the Paper:

"The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara artfully skews the boundaries that traditionally separate macro-history from micro-history. In his meticulous account of Edgardo Mortara, David Kertzer intimately reveals the controversial struggles endured by the Mortara family in mid-nineteenth century Italy. The tyrannical conventions of old-regime papal authority discordantly clash with the emerging post-enlightenment ideology as Kertzer places the fate of a young Jewish boy in context with European anti-Semitism and Italian unification. Throughout the course of his historic narrative, David Kertzer skillfully analyzes the infrastructure of Italian authority and explains how changes in public opinion throughout the world ultimately resulted in the downfall of papal dominance. Surprisingly ignored by most modern historians, Kertzer portrays the Mortara incident as a pivotal point in Italian unification and the institutional collapse of the church."

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