Professional Documents
Culture Documents
PDF PDF
PDF PDF
PDF PDF
Historical Sources
Historical Criticism
2
Outline of Discussion
I. History as Reconstruction
II. The Historical Method
III. Historical Sources [Written and Non-
written; Primary and Secondary]
IV. Historical Criticism [External and
Intenal]
3
Introduction: History as Reconstruction
4
Introduction: History as Reconstruction
Historians
have to verify sources, to
date them, locate their place of origin
and identify their intended functions
7
In short, the Historical Method is…
8
Historical Sources
Sources – an object from the past or
testimony concerning the past on which
historians depend in order to create
their own depiction of that past.
Howell and Prevenier, From Reliable Sources an Introduction to Historical Method
9
Written Sources
1. Published materials
Books, magazines, journals,
Travelogue
transcription of speech
2. Manuscript [any handwritten or typed record
that has not been printed]
Archival materials
Memoirs, diary
10
Non- written Sources
Oral history
Artifact
Ruins
Fossils
Art works
Videorecordings
Audiorecordings
11
What are Primary Sources?
Testimony of an eyewitness
http://www.yale.edu/collections_collaborative/primarysources/primarysources.html
14
Four Main Categories of Primary
Sources
1. Written sources
2. Images
3. Artifacts
4. Oral testimony
l
15
What are Secondary Sources?
Examples:
History textbook
Printed materials (serials, periodicals
which interprets previous research)
17
Practical Example/Worksheet
18
What is Historical Criticism?
19
What is External Criticism?
3. Anachronistic style
e.g. idiom, ortography, punctuation
4. Anachronistic reference to events
e.g. too early, too late, too remote
5. Provenance or custody
e.g. determines its genuineness
Louis Gottschalk, Understanding History 22
Tests of Authenticity
23
What is Internal Criticism?
25
Tests of Credibility
5. Corroboration
i.e. historical facts – particulars which rest
upon the independent testimony of two or
more reliable witnesses
Louis Gottschalk, Understanding History
27
Three Major Components to
Effective Historical Thinking
28