longue durée

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French longue durée (“long duration”). Attested since the 1960s.

Noun

longue durée (uncountable)

1. (historiography, social sciences) A long period of time during which social processes develop or social structures evolve.
   • 1978, Lynn Avery Hunt, Revolution and Urban Politics in Provincial France: Troyes and Reims, 1786-1790, Stanford University Press, →ISBN, page 1:

     The "Annales" school draws attention to the virtually unchanging geography of a region, the rising and ebbing movements of the economy, or the rhythmic repetitions in social relations — i.e., to the "longue duree" — rather than to those fleeting events we call political.

2. An approach to the study of history over such long periods.
3. The long term; a relatively long period of time.
   • 1976, Jean Franco, “Foreword”, in The Decapitated Chicken and Other Stories, University of Wisconsin Press, translation of original by Horacio Quiroga, →ISBN, page xv:

     The longue duree of river and rocks throws into relief the trivial pursuits of the dying man whose last thoughts are of a briefer time span.

Usage notes

The term longue durée is especially associated with French historians and social scientists of the Annales School.

Translations

historiographical term, "long lines of history"

• Danish: lange linjer c pl
• Finnish: pitkän keston historia
• French: longue durée f, temps long m
• Polish: długie trwanie n