We 've all studied history at one point in our lives, wether it was in school or simply looking something up on the internet. Most people have had to memorize dates and flags and various historical figures. This is done almost automatically, most people assume history is reading about old dead men from a textbook. Never the less what is history really? What role does it play besides telling us what happened 100 years ago. History is, as I have learned, much more complex than I originally thought. When I chose history as a minor in college, I had a goal of learning everything I possibly could. Much to my surprise history became a subject that was filled with complex interpretations, theories and consequences. History became a way to learn …show more content…
I have a better understanding of the importance of historiography and what it really is. Seeing all these theories have showed me that historiography is just that, the history of how history has been approached over time. Historiographical essay help us see how methodologies have changed over time. For example there might be a dominiant historiography for a subject, however historians can agree with previous as well as adding their own theories as well. And looking at historigraphy’s meaning has allowed me to look back at much of the history I have been learning. Look back and realize and see what some of the most common methods and perspectives. To see that much of my history has been focsed on upper classes, dominant races. However I have seen how methodologies vary and …show more content…
I have been able to understand how history and methods of acquiring knowledge change over time. Not just this but I have been able to chose theories that I believe are better and that provide what history needs. Ultimatley I believe that that is persepctive. I believe when we start to view history from all perspectives we will have a better understding of the complexity of human nature and of society as a whole.Basically as a minorty woman I want to see my history not as a side bar in a history book but included I the overall chapters. And I belive New history can provide just that. That is what really belive history is in the end, providing answers and interpretations of the past using all persepctives. I believe we need to strive for understanding how history intersects over time. A writer named Jorge luis Borges put it best. “passing yet remaining, a mirror to the same inconstant Heraclitus, who is the same and yet another, like the river flowing.” This is a quote I think that relates well to history. History is constantly moving and changing but in some ways it is the same. And every so oten we look back and see many constants and repetitions. It is up to historians, wether professional or at college level like myself to keep studying and analyzing history. No matter how much history has changed, be it theory or methods it is still important to study
A beginning group of historians to take a closer look at is the empiricists. The empiricists have a very strictly factual and logical view on history and how to examine it. They believe that past is both “observable and verifiable” and that through adherence to three strict principles, the past can be represented objectively and accurately. (Green, Troup 3) The three aforementioned principles can be summed up as: meticulously examining historical evidence and verifying the evidence with references, making sure the research is completely impartial and free of biases and prejudices, and using an inductive, or observational, method of reasoning. (Green, Troup 3) The empiricists seek to find universal historical truths through objective research and sticking to the facts.
“It [history] is like a river. From any vantage point, a river looks much the same day after day. But actually it is constantly flowing and changing…one day, when the banks are thoroughly weakened and the rains long and heavy, the river floods and bursts its banks, and may take a new course.” (Kay 1948)
I believe that Karl Marx and Frederick Engel and W.E.B Du Bois are both right. They both had one specific goal in mind; social equality. Karl Marx and Frederick Engel wanted to close the gap between the ruling class and the working class. The working class were being overworked and underpaid while working in factories. Marx and Engels wanted equality in the society by advocating for a communist society, where all people have equal access to resources. W.E.B Du Bois wanted African Americans to have the same equal rights as the white men. African Americans were neglected in the American society and were not allowed the same rights as the white men.
In the document, "Indians: Textualism, Morality, and The Problem of History," Jane Tompkins examines the conflicts between the English settlers and the American Indians. After examining several primary sources, Tompkins found that different history books have different perspectives. It wasn’t that the history books took different angles that was troubling, but the viewpoints contradicted one another. People who experience the same event told it through their reality. This becomes a problem when a person who didn’t experience the effect wants to know what happened. Tompkins said, "The problem id that if all accounts of events are determined through and through by the observer’s frame of reference, that one will never know, in any given case what really happened (202)."
History is a powerful form of context. History is one thing that almost every reader can grasp and have a great understanding of. Also, history is one thing that will always stay current. ...
Historiography in the Twentieth Century: From Scientific Objectivity to the Postmodern Challenge, a book written by Georg G. Iggers, explores the transformation of modern trends throughout history using the influence of social science. Iggers combines his studies of German and American customs defined by social history to bring us in-depth highlights of pertinent information.
In The Houses of History, selected and introduced by Anna Green and Kathleen Troup, the different theories of the twentieth century are broken down and specifics are introduced about each theory. Historians use these theories to study certain aspects of history and to be able to compare two theories to each other and the problems each theory addresses must be identified. With all aspects of history having some sort of connection, it would be better to take a holistic approach to the history of different eras. As we first read in Arnold earlier in the semester, "History is above all else an argument (Arnold 13)." Therefore, to compare two theories of history, the argument must begin with the facts of the theory and what that theory is used for, and then argue where it might have flaws or not connect history together.
“Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” This famous quote from Edmund Burke is one that many of us are familiar with. In spite of this, many people disregard history, branding it as unimportant or irrelevant to modern-day situations. However, history is actually a quite important subject with a myriad of lessons to be learned for anybody to apply now and in the future. Additionally, history gives us much needed information about our past, keeping us from forgetting why our nations became the way they are. It allows us to draw parallels between modern events and past events to collect our best judgment and gives us the important knowledge of the origin of our modern world, giving extra credibility
The authors of After the Fact The Art of Historical Detection, make the assertion that history is not an account of what happened in the past because what happened in the past is only the raw material: "History is not some inert body of knowledge `out there' in the past, but a continual act of construction whose end product is being reshaped and made anew every time someone ventures into the archives" (Davidson and Lytle IX). Davidson and Lytle mean that the interpretation of history changes based on the methods of investigation used by the historian. Interpretations also change based on how long "after the fact" we choose to go back and investigate. Current beliefs, social trends, and a person's racial background can't help but play an influential role in how we perceive a past event.
...or that matter. And that is exactly what archeologist do. They go looking for ways to perfect our knowledge about history and alter if the need is there. Studying history help me understand current events because like people say history repeats over and over. They had kings, pharaohs, and emperors back then and now we have presidents, kings, queens, and the pope. Besides technology and people nothing really seamed to change. Writing this essay and learning about events that happened in Rome proved to be interesting. If a part of history is learning about almost everything there is to know about a person and their lifestyle, then this would be something that I speculated on, on a regular basis because Marcus Aurelius had a very interesting life. Basically feel almost as though I watched him grow up, become emperor and pass away as if I was next to him the whole time.
History is a story told over time. It is a way of recreating the past so it can be studied in the present and re-interpreted for future generations. Since humans are the sole beneficiaries of history, it is important for us to know what the purpose of history is and how historians include their own perspective concerning historical events. The purpose and perspective of history is vital in order for individuals to realise how it would be almost impossible for us to live out our lives effectively if we had no knowledge of the past. Also, in order to gain a sound knowledge of the past, we have to understand the political, social and cultural aspects of the times we are studying.
Millions of people have gone great lengths to record every part of the past. We may not know much about the future but we have more than enough information about the past. The knowledge about our past has helped us in many ways. Historians, teachers, doctors, students, lawyers and many more have relied on history books and researches on significant events in history to prove their point. The question why history matters has been asked many times. It has been asked by students, teachers and parents sometimes. Some people may see this question as ridiculously easy but I see it as one of the hardest ones yet asked. Does History matter? This question can’t be answered in one sentence. Try asking people why history is important and the answer is usually “It’s to learn from our mistakes”. It’s not right to summarize over 4 billion years of history in one sentence. This question can be easily answered in numerous ways. I would side with the numerous historians who say history holds huge significance. History is older than any object or human being we have ever come across. History has proved itself significance with the help of human beings. We, the people have used history and made it one the most significant thing in present. History holds itself significant because it has helped us understand human behaviors, change in societies, mistakes influential figures have made in past, the past events occurrence and many other reasons. The most important reason is that history protects us by preparing us for the incoming. This essay would analyze the importance of history today by using the past events for evidence.
Due to the coinciding nature of the professionalization of historical study with nineteenth century nationalism, historiography from this time period used the nation as a framework for the study of history. This results in the distortion of historians conceptual past into modern nations that may not have existed, during the period being studied. A national focus also causes the greatest body of research coming out of universities to be about their own nation (i.e. lack of universities offering a degree in Scottish history outside of Scotland) which could lead to possible distortion in the study of the past because of the lack of opposing study outside of the country. Historians in recent years have had to combat the distortion of the national past, as shown by those in the 1950’s and 1960’s who found it difficult to step out of the national framework that a large amount of past sources had been created under. Annales School historians like Marc Bloch and Lucien Febvre, combated historical influences of nationalism by focusing on social, cultural and economic trends as a means for understanding history. Finally the nationalist framework of historical study has been combated by a focus on comparative national history, especially in counties without a strong historical tradition such as the fragmented Eastern European countries. An example of comparative history
Learning about history helps us learn about the humanities own reflection and what’s good or bad about it. This is just like a diary , people and by people I mean historians , just wrote what they saw and what seemed to cause a major change in society and we just happen to be reading it a couple of years later. I believe that historians actually wrote historical truth because it makes sense and it has been scientifically proven
When most people think about history they remember a boring class they took in school a long time ago, they recall memorizing important dates, taking map tests, and falling asleep while listening to a lecture. The truth is that history really is an important subject to be teaching students. History is more than just some lecture you receive in class, history lets us look back, see the good things and the bad things, it allows us to learn from our mistakes and prevent such mistakes from happening in the future. Things that happened in the past are still changing things that are happening today. History is needed for everyone, from government leaders down to individuals; everyone has learned one thing or another from history at some point in their life.