In the late 19th century and early 20th, with the coming of age of sociology in France, the idea that there could be a "science" of history was the subject of much and varied debate. Although sociology was from its origins in competition with the discipline of history, it too was interested in history as a form of objective knowledge. Many of sociology's founders believed that by retracing historical processes, they could make a clean break with abstraction and metaphysics. By the end of the 19th century, the science of history would for its part draw some valuable lessons from the emerging methodology of sociology. This book focuses on this dialogue of the two neighboring sciences.

Introduction Part I: The Idea of Scientific History 1. History and the Social Sciences 2. Contrasting Approaches to Scientific History Part II: Henri Berr and Historical Synthesis 3. Henri Berr, the Theoretician of Historical Knowledge 4. Henri Berr, the Organizer and Promoter of Synthesis Part III: The Durkheimian School and History 5. The Durkheimian School and History. Conclusion.

Robert Leroux is a professor of sociology at the University of Ottawa.