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