‘To Capture the Irrational with a Rational Mind’: The Problem of Myth in the Historiography of Fascism
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2025-08-06
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en
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The usage of ‘myth’ in relation to the historiography of fascism remains conceptually inconsistent. This thesis examines and critiques the origins of the concept from the works of George Sorel and its subsequent adoption by historians, suggesting significant epistemological issues that hamper its explanatory potential. This critique is brought into sharper relief through recourse to R. G. Collingwood’s philosophy of history and his notion of historical explanation. An alternative philosophical conceptualisation of the concept based on the works of Carmen Lea Dege and Tae-Yeoun Keum is introduced to highlight the contrasting commitments underlying the notions of myth and historical explanation, and their resulting tension. Myth is finally presented as a concept that challenges the metaphysical commitments of historical explanation itself.
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Faculteit der Filosofie, Theologie en Religiewetenschappen