1st Lecture note

INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY
Defining History (Interpretation of history)
There is no universally agreed definition for history. It has been defining differently by different
scholars or historians. It outdates the other social sciences. History is the study of the past,
particularly the written record of the human race, but more generally including scientific and
archeological discoveries about the past. History is the field of research producing a continuous
of importance to the human race. It is narrative and a systematic analysis of past events. History
explains the present. The present has evolved (step by step) out of the past. The task of history is
to study this evolution. Since history is a dialogue between the event of the past and progressively
emerging future ends.
Some ideas about history
1. Continuous, Chronological, record of important or public events.
2. The study of past events and human affairs.
3. The human developments connected with a particular nation, person and things.
The classical view of history
In the 5th century B.C. the Greek historian Herodotus (Father of history) used by word of
“Historia”
Herodotus, the father of history, defined his purpose in the opening his work: to preserve a memory
of the past events show how peoples came in to conflict one another. He found few disciples in
the ancient world. “The simple meaning of Historia or History is research or researches in the past”
Critical idea of history, Historia or History is just “man-his story”
Historians and theirs interpretation
“History is a story of great characters” (Thomas currail)
“If a person could study the life of a society of anther period he studies his own life.” (T.S. Eliot)
History as "recollection" of the "thinking" of a historical personage. Study history to get a clear
understanding about a particular state of affairs. (Collingwood - practicing historian and
archaeologist)
“History is a continuous process of interaction between the historian and his facts, an unending
dialogue between the past and present” (E.H. Carr)
Nature of History
Today history is considered to have four dimensions namely peoples, place, time and ideas as all
are indispensable (essential) for making the story of humanity intelligible.
It is the study of the man. It deals with knowledge only when it is associated with man’s
achievements. History is concerned with the man in time. Time factor is the essence of history. It
deals with a series of events and each event occurs at a given point in time.
Man has progressed step by step from the past human achievements, for example from the cave
age to the jet and nuclear age. Man unpredicted control over space, time and distance; now the
world has faced into a new age, rightly called the Technological Age.
This process of historical change has directed to social awareness. The people started living in
groups, clans and societies. There was the development of city-states, nation-states and now world
state.
The primary changes in human history are the four social revolutions namely
1. Domestication, The process of bringing animals or plants under human control in order to
provide food, power, or company.
2. Agriculture, An agrarian society (or agricultural society) is any society whose economy
is based on producing and maintaining crops and farmland. ... In an agrarian society
cultivating the land is the primary source of wealth.
3. Industrialization, industrialization is the period of social and economic change that
transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society, involving the
extensive re-organization of an economy for the purpose of manufacturing.
4. Information, The Information Age (also known as the Computer Age, Digital Age, or
New Media Age) is a historic period in the 21st century characterized by the rapid shift
from traditional industry that the Industrial Revolution brought through industrialization,
to an economy based on information technology.
What are the include in History
Human Activities of Past
For Example; Politics, Economics, Social, Culture, Religions, Arts, Architecture, Technology
Value of History
History helps us understand people and societies
History helps us understand evolution and change
History provides identity
Knowledge of own heritage
Build to social power and proud
Give to solution for present and future
Able to understand human life
The study of history is important since history is a mirror of human beings. History can provide us
far more valuable insights on understanding ourselves and the world.
In the aspect of technology, we are living in a world of internet, computers and cell phones, which
greatly influence the way of our living and different us from past generations. However, basic
problems such as wars, discrimination and poverty still exist. We are still facing the same issues
raised by our ancestors because of the consistency of human nature.