ABSTRACT
Paths and territories are mutually distinguishable only to some extent, considering that a given approach will naturally be more effective in identifying and interpreting some phenomena than others. Generally speaking, all these spatial metaphors may be used as long as one bears in mind that what defines cultural history today –– in contrast to past forms of the history of culture –– is a mode of approach, rather than a specific range of objects. In the course of the twentieth century, cultures and societies underwent transformations that have exercised manifest influences over the evolution of historiographical paradigms, from the way historians choose their topics and sources, to the patterns in which they shape their discourses. A significant portion of such studies follow the flag of ‘history from below’, that is, a re-appreciation of the experience, testimony and point of view of subaltern and marginal social groups.
