Marc Bloch has been very influential in the development of both history and social science. Comparative historians, historical geographers, and historical sociologists have all pointed to his work as a model. This book is the first detailed examination of the relationship of his work to both Durkheimian sociology and Vidalian geography. Through a careful examination of the debates in which he was involved and the institutional circumstances in which he worked, it places Bloch's work within its intellectual context, and assesses the nature of his contribution. Professor Friedman argues that, despite the frequent claims of scholars in history, sociology and geography, Bloch did not adopt either the Durkheimian or Vidalian approach. Both disciplines were central to his intellectual development, but Bloch's relationships to the two disciplines were interdependent, and the result was his own highly acclaimed and unique approach.

The French historian Marc Bloch has often been praised for his interdisciplinary approach. This book demonstrates the importance of both Vidalian geography and Durkheimian sociology for Bloch and the significant, but often overlooked, differences between his approach and theirs. In contrast to much other work on Bloch, Professor Friedman highlights the intellectual and institutional contexts of Bloch's works, arguing that only by a careful examination of the debates in which he was involved can one begin to come to terms with the nature of his contribution.