longue durée

Noun

longue durée (uncountable)

1. A long period of time during which social processes develop or social structures evolve.
   • 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.1978, Lynn Avery Hunt, Revolution and Urban Politics in Provincial France: Troyes and Reims, 1786-1790, Stanford University Press, →ISBN, page 1
2. An approach to the study of history over such long periods.
3. The long term; a relatively long period of time.
   • 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.1976, Jean Franco, “Foreword”, in The Decapitated Chicken and Other Stories, University of Wisconsin Press, translation of original by Horacio Quiroga, →ISBN, page xv