The History of Political Thought and the AISPP Website in the ‘Post-Truth’ Era. Huizinga’s Lesson and Some Insights from Digital Papyrology

The work of the historian, specifically the historian of political thought, has always involved the critical-analytical study of documentary sources, thanks to which it is possible to tentatively propose reconstructions and interpretations – always partial, it goes without saying – of the past and of the political concepts transmitted by it, starting from the earliest ones, analyzed and contextualized in their various historical, cultural, social, political, legal, economic, and scientific aspects. The article problematizes the issue of historical research and the history of political thought in relation to the risks of the post-truth era through the analysis of some forward-looking reflections of Jhoan Huizinga. In addition, the article seeks to highlight some best practices in historical research and dissemination, and specifically in the research of the history of political thought, drawn from the example of papyrological research and the analysis of the website of the Italian Association for the History of Political Thought (AISPP).