Applying Skinner's methodology to the interpretation of texts of historiography and history of  Iranian-Islamic thought

Hatami, A.H.

doi:10.22035/isih.2020.3744.3904

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Author

A.H. Hatami

Assistant Professor of History, Department of History, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22035/isih.2020.3744.3904

Abstract

Texts of the History of Ideas according to their focus on the mentality of thinkers and theorists of the past have different content and nature than other historiographical texts. Because the mentality of any thinker is influenced by various political, social, historical, economic, religious, philosophical, and cultural components, analyzing such texts requires interdisciplinary tools and methods. Among the methodologies available in this field, Quentin Skinner's intentional-contextual methodology has been one of the most widely used. However, the focus of Skinner's studies has been mainly on political thought, but his methodology is based on interdisciplinary principles and both he and his commentators have applied this methodology in various fields of the humanities. Therefore, in this article, using the analytical-descriptive method, and by providing several examples of historiographical texts and history of Iranian-Islamic thought, the application of Skinner's interdisciplinary methodology in such texts was examined. According to the findings of the article, study of texts of historiography and history of Iranian-Islamic thought, according to the effect they receive from different fields of humanities, requires interdisciplinary methodologies. Thus, given its emphasis on the "intention" of the author, Skinner's interdisciplinary methodology can significantly help to understand these texts, and in particular to critically examine many of them.

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