La historia del presente inmediato en el contexto del debate epistemológico de las ciencias sociales

Resumen

The epistemological debate of immediate history in the social sciences.

The whole history is undeniably a history of social life. Even in the specific case of the history of the present and in the denominated “immediate history,” social life stands for new theoretical, conceptual and methodological challenges to define its epistemological stance and the recognition of a presentpast time where the socio-historical complexity is decisive. Far from the idea of past as a uniform analysis unit isolated from its context, the history of the immediate present faces the epistemological themes that concern social sciences. From the description of facts, to the capacity to interpret the historical reality in movement. From the notion of time as a definable and homogenous unit applied to all kinds of societies, to the confluence of multiple socio-historical temporalities in specific conjunctures. From the gradual and cumulative idea of progress, to the acceptance of contradiction, rupture and socio-historical change. From verification of facts only with documentary material, to the development of the capacity to think about the non-predictable challenges of the immediate social reality. These are the main axes of analyses that will be attended here.

Key words: history of the present, immediate history, socio-historical present, social transformations, social sciences, epistemological reflection, methodology.