A critical analysis into the revolutionary methods and themes of “history from below” cannot be done in isolation of “history from above”. For, it was this notion of writing history through the eyes of those from above, which sparked the flame in social historians to consider those from below. Hence, through comparison and contrast, this paper seeks to show how “history from below” came into being, and furthermore, determine the relevance of the concept “revolutionary’ in light of its methods and themes. It should be noted that reference will be made to the Caribbean, but many of the issues also relate to the international community. It should be noted too, that this paper takes into consideration, three main variables: institutional affiliation, class and gender point.

The phrase “history from below” constitutes one form of social history.

Social history, simply put, is the history of life in the broadest sense; the

history of the everyday experiences of average men and women. It is the history of occupations, life styles, leisure activities, family structures, eating habits, sexual practices, reading preferences, b

It is imperative to note that “history from below” developed as a contrast to the dominance of political history, which is also referred to as “history from above”. Political history is the earliest form of history and was developed in Europe. With this type of history,

An analysis of the views purported by both Tosh and Higman indicate that indeed, “history from below” (in the Caribbean) and by extension, other regions brought with it the idea of ‘change’ and ‘newness’ in terms of its methods and themes. This therefore, gives relevance to the term ‘revolutionary’.

create a sensibility capable of mastering a disordered world and a theory of cultural transmission that can help solve the historical problem presented by the contrary claims of order, authority, freedom and rebellion.

eliefs and values; it is “grassroots” history.

Some topics in this essay:
Tosh Higman, , Caribbean Europe, Haitian Revolution, Comparatively Higman, “history below”, social history, methods themes, political history, social historians, themes “history, themes “history below”, writing history, “history above”, sources political history, history developed, revolutionary methods themes, women’s history, political history limited, methods themes “history,