This is a jargon-free introduction to the major theoretical perspectives employed by 20th-century historians. It incorporates a range of approaches to the writing of history giving accessible accounts of 11 "schools" of thought ranging from the empiricist to the postcolonial, inclu ding Marxist history, oral history, gender history and poststructuralism. Each chapter begins with a succinct description of the ideas integral to a particular theory; the authors then explore the insights and controversies arising from the application of this model. The principal contributors to the development of the school are identified as the major critics. The chapter concludes with a representative example from a historian writing within this framework. A short list of references gives a guide to further reading in each area.