Reflection on reflections: review essay on reflections on the cliometric revolution: conversations with economic historians

Abstract

Cliometrics is currently celebrating five decades of research and as happens at such benchmarks, there is an interest in understanding the path along which Clio has walked and where the discipline is going. Reflections on the Cliometric Revolution: Conversations with Economic Historians, edited by Lyons, Cain and Williamson (Routledge, London, 2008) provides us with a detailed introductory chapter on the history of the profession and a set of interviews with 25 scholars who were involved in the transformation of a discipline. This review essay reflects on the nature of the transformations during the past five decades.