Chapter 1 – History and Historical Research

Definition of History
- Simple acceptance of what is written about a historical topic, event or person
- Simple historical chronology of famous date, incidents and people
- Integrative to many disciplines like geography, literature, art , sociology, economics, political science
Idealism
- history is describe in terms of ideas-what people thought and their action intention
Historicism
- the autonomy of the past must be respected
Relativism
- there is no absolute truth; all views of history are valid
Cliometrics
- express history in statistics and mathematics
Primary Source
- original item like image, document, map, artifact that provide evidence of the past
Secondary source
- which a primary source is represented
Analytical approach
- an argument is valid ifit is based on sound evidence
Logic
- evidence supports the premise and the conclusions that are made

Some Comments About History

Napoleon Bonaparte
- History is written by the winners
Confucious
- Study the past if you would define the future
Mahatma Gandhi
- If we are to make progress, we must not repeat history but make new history. We must add to
inheritance left by our ancestors
Martin Luther King, Jr.
- We are not makers of history. We are made by history
Karl Marx
- The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles
Victor Hugo
- Let us study things that are no more. It is necessary to understand them, if only to avoid them

Why Study History?

History
- knowledge of the past that is important to the welfare of individuals, communities and nation
To Ourselves
Identity
- discover own place in the stories of their family, community and nation
Critical Skills
- teaches independent skill, research, accuracy and reliability of sources

To Our Communities
Vital Paces to Live and Work
- no place becomes community without human memory, family stories, traditions
Economic Development
- catalyst for economic growth

To Our Future
Engaged Citizens
- practice of expressing views and take actions
Leadership
- with inspiration and role models to meet complex chalenges to face nation, world
Legacy
- save and preserve is the foundation for future generations

History Differentiated
History vs Past
Past
- everything happen since the dawn of time; action of man, leaves that fell, chemical change
History
- interpreting evidence from past through informed way; narrative that gives meaning, sense and
explanation to past in the present

History vs Prehistory
History
- records of significant events happen in the past
Prehistory
- period of human activity prior to invention of writing system

History, Historicity and Historiography

History
- narrative account to examine and analyze past events
Historicity
- authentication of characters in history like of legend or myth
Historiography
- writing of history and how the interpretation change over time

History vs Herstory
History
- Greek word historia meaning inquire, knowledge acquire by investigation; study of the past
Herstory
- written from woman’s point of view

Historical Research
Techniques and guidelines which historians use primary source and other evidence to research and
write in forms of past accounts
Historical approach
- researches interested in reporting evnts occurred in the past

Purpose of Historical Research

- Describe and examine events of the past to understand the present and anticipate potential future
effects
- Research conclusions about past persons/occurrences
- To help people learn from past failures and success

Characteristics of Historical Research

- Focus on the past
- Portrayal of past events
- Collecting and reading research material collected and writing manuscript from data collected
- Discovery of data already exist
- Analytical
- Has variety of foci like issues, events
- Records and evaluates accomplishment of individuals

Advantage of Historical Research

- Investigation of topics can be studied in other way
- Suited for trend analysis
- Not physically involve in the situation under study
- No danger of experimenter- subject interaction
- Documents are located by researcher, data is gathered
 - Conclusions are drawn out of sight

Disadvantage of Historical Research

- Many threats to internal validity
- Researches cannot control treats to internal validity
- Limitations are imposed
- Cannot ensure representation of sample
- Bias in interpreting historical sources
- Time consuming
- Availability of historical materials can be problematic
- Lack of control over external variables

Steps in Historical Research

1. Identifying topic/ defining problem or hypothesis
2. Search for data sources and resource materials
3. Summarizing and evaluating the sources
4. Analyzing, synthesizing, interpreting evidence/ draw conclusions

Cyclical View of History

From histories of the Greeks
Heroditus
- work Histories, story of men and states as cycles
Thucydides
- time as recurring in cyclical fashion
Petrach
- basis of history was people’s actions rather than whims of God
Machiavelli
- history as casebook of political strategy
Arnold Toynbee and Oswald Spengler
- history is cyclical; civilizations rise and fall

Linear View of History

History is progressive not having cyclical return
Augustine
- unfolding of God’s plan, end in final judgment
Voltaire
- 4 great ages of man in scientific enlightenment of Newton
Marxist
- class struggle that end’s in workers revolution
H. G Wells
- race between education and disaster

Great God View of History

Myths
- does not have scientific validity like of God’s creation
King
- Sumerians, Babylonians, Egyptians before Greeks and Romans
Reshaped by Christian and Mohammedan

Great Man View of History

- Dominant personalities determine the course of history like rulers, warriors, statesmen
- History is the record of deeds of great people
Thomas Carlyle
- record of collective experience of ordinary people
Sir Walter Scott
- how people live through significant events
William E.B. Du Bois
- record of the lives of subject peoples
Best People View of History
- Some elite, the best race, favored nation, ruling class make history
Israelites
- as God’s chosen people
Greeks
- acme of culture, better in all aspects than barbarians
Plato and Aristotle
- look the slave-holding aristocracy as superior to lower orders
Hitler
- Arian race was the best among races

Ideas or Great Mind View o History

Anaxagoras
- reasons govern the world
Aristotle
- prime mover of universe and animator of everything is God
G.W.F Hegel
- spirit or mind is the only motive principle of history

Human Nature View of History

Human nature
- rigid and unchanging from one generation to another
Thucydides
- human nature and behavior are fixed qualities
David Hume
- mankind are so much the same in all paces and time
E. B Tylor
- human institution are shaped by human nature

Economic View of History

Karl Marx
- most proponent of this view
- Economic factor as the most important determinant of history

Gender History
Joan Kelly
- Did women have Renaissance?

Postmodern View of History

- History as we make of it
Jacques Lacan and Michel Foucault
- each historical period has own knowledge system

Other views of History

Friedrich Nietzsche
- history has no beginning or end
Michel Foucault
- victory of social struggle use political dominance to suppress defeated