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Textbooks in the historiography of recent economics

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  • Yann Giraud

    (THEMA - Théorie économique, modélisation et applications - UCP - Université de Cergy Pontoise - Université Paris-Seine - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

Textbooks are both neglected and at times overused as objects in the history of economics. They are neglected because most historians, borrowing from Kuhn, tend to regard them as passive receptacles of past knowledge, yet they are also overused as shortcuts to study the state of economic doctrine at a certain point in time. Looking at the existing historical literature that studies or uses textbooks, this chapter shows how a better understanding of the specific pedagogical and institutional environments in which textbooks operate can help build thicker and more accurate histories of the role they have played, not just in disseminating, but also in creating and transforming economic knowledge.

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  • Yann Giraud, 2018. "Textbooks in the historiography of recent economics," Post-Print halshs-01876422, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-01876422
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-01876422
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mark Skousen, 1997. "The Perseverance of Paul Samuelson's Economics," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 11(2), pages 137-152, Spring.
    2. Backhouse, Roger E., 2017. "Founder of Modern Economics: Paul A. Samuelson: Volume 1: Becoming Samuelson, 1915-1948," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780190664091.
    3. Yann B. Giraud, 2010. "The Changing Place of Visual Representation in Economics: Paul Samuelson between Principle and Strategy, 1941-1955," Post-Print hal-00870392, HAL.
    4. Harro Maas, 2014. "Making Things Technical: Samuelson at MIT," Center for the History of Political Economy Working Paper Series 2014-1, Center for the History of Political Economy.
    5. Pedro Teixeira, 2014. "Serving the Institute and the Discipline: The Changing Profile of Economics at MIT as Viewed from Textbooks," History of Political Economy, Duke University Press, vol. 46(5), pages 153-174, Supplemen.
    6. Jean-Baptiste Fleury, 2012. "The evolving notion of relevance: an historical perspective to the ‘economics made fun’ movement," Journal of Economic Methodology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(3), pages 303-316, September.
    7. Giraud, Yann B., 2010. "The Changing Place Of Visual Representation In Economics: Paul Samuelson Between Principle And Strategy, 1941–1955," Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Cambridge University Press, vol. 32(2), pages 175-197, June.
    8. Evelyn L. Forget & Craufurd D. Goodwin, 2011. "Intellectual Communities in the History of Economics," History of Political Economy, Duke University Press, vol. 43(1), pages 1-23, Spring.
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    Cited by:

    1. Alain Marciano, 2023. "Teaching economics, defending the free market and justifying government intervention: The ABCs of Buchanan’s political economy," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 36(3), pages 441-460, September.
    2. Thomas Delcey & Francesco Sergi, 2019. "The Efficient Market Hypothesis and Rational Expectations. How Did They Meet and Live (Happily?) Ever After," Working Papers hal-02187362, HAL.
    3. Thomas Delcey & Francesco Sergi, 2019. "The Efficient Market Hypothesis and Rational Expectations. How Did They Meet and Live (Happily?) Ever After," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) hal-02187362, HAL.

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