Introduction: Current Challenges of Writing European History

Reflecting on how the parameters and content of European history have changed since the foundation of European History Quarterly 40 years ago, the article considers also the impact on European history of general developments within the historical discipline, such as the spread of cultural history, the various ‘turns’ of postmodernism, and the ‘globalization of historiography’. It suggests that European history can only be considered to be ‘in crisis’, if the field is understood as the sum of national histories. It further explores the ways in which European history has become increasingly ‘Europeanized’ and the problems encountered in this process.