Carlo Ginzburg, the Italian historian known for pioneering microhistory, has died at age 87. Multiple outlets describe him as a major figure in reshaping how historians use evidence to interpret culture and everyday life, particularly by reconstructing the experiences of people who were often ignored in traditional historical narratives. Several reports credit his influence with helping define microhistory as an approach that focuses on small-scale cases and detailed sources.
Sources also highlight his research method and subject matter. The Guardian’s obituary and editorial note that Ginzburg’s widely known work, “The Cheese and the Worms: The Cosmos of a Sixteenth-Century Miller” (published in 1976), grew out of his immersion in the trial of a miller in a 16th-century case connected to the Roman Inquisition, turning what might have been a minor record into a full book. Other outlets similarly refer to his emphasis on the edges and the marginalized.
One outlet states his death date as June 17, while others refer to his death occurring on Wednesday. His work is described as having been translated and gaining international reach.
