French Literature Reviews - 2026

Ways of Seeing History
History, Politics and Society

Does a machine for seeing through time actually exist? Of course, with our own eyes we can only witness traces of the past that have survived across the ages (texts, images, ruins). Yet there is no impermeable boundary between the mental images generated by the experience of seeing and those of believing or thinking we see. In Voir le passé. Savoir historique et expériences de la vision (Champvallon), Christian Jouhaud juxtaposes ways of seeing experienced in the past with the historian's own experiences of viewing that past. To this end, five chapters journey from a collection of visual histories (from the 15th to the 20th century) to the act of making others see in order to persuade; then, through a series of disorientations when faced with what is witnessed, toward encounters with unwelcome scenes; and finally, concluding with the discovery of the invisible within narratives or images whose goal is to make us see. Explore the table of contents…

(Illustration: The Siege of La Rochelle, 1627–1628, after an engraving by Jacques Callot)

The study of historiography often grapples with the tension between material remnants and the interpretive frameworks applied by scholars. This inquiry situates itself within broader discussions regarding the epistemology of history, focusing on how visual experiences influence the analysis of past events. Readers interested in the methodologies of historical research and the role of visual culture in academic inquiry may find this exploration relevant.

In Voir le passé. Savoir historique et expériences de la vision, Christian Jouhaud juxtaposes ways of seeing experienced in the past with the historian's own experiences of viewing that past. The work explores the relationship between visual histories, the act of making others see to persuade, and the discovery of the invisible within narratives or images. This approach highlights the difficulty of distinguishing between the analysis of ruins or texts and the subjective experience of viewing, reflecting on the dialogue between visual evidence and historical practice.