cultural history
Academic field or a historical account focusing on cultural developments, customs, arts, and thought.
彼は大学で日本文化史を専攻している。
He is majoring in Japanese cultural history at university.
This book explains the cultural history of the Edo period in detail.
文明史 is 'history of civilization', often broader and including technological and social structures, whereas 文化史 emphasizes arts, customs, and intellectual life.
Compound of 文化 (culture) and 史 (history).