Chapter 4-

Identification of the
Historical Importance of
the Text
 Historical Significance

Used to evaluate what was

significance about selected
events, people and
developments in the past
Called the forgotten
concept in history
Criteria on Assessing Historical
Significance of Sources

1. relevance- is it important to
people living at the time?
2. Resonance- who were
affected by the event?
3. Remarkable- was the event
remarked by people
4. Remembered- Was the
event important at some
stage within the collective
memory of groups?
5. Revealing- Does it reveal
some aspects of the past?
6. Resulting in change- Does
it have consequences for the
future?
7. Durability- For how long
have people’s live been
affected?
8. Quantity- How many
people were affected?
9. Profundity- Was the event
superficial or deeply
affecting?
Issues on Assessing Historical
Significance

1. Our view on historical

significance are shaped by
contemporary context and
depends on our own values,
interest and knowledge
2. History is written by the
victor. Historical significance
Is how we define the past
events that current writer of
history deems important
3. Historical significance is
relative and varies from
location to location of the
one doing the evaluation