history day 1
TRANSCRIPT
Historyseeks to study and explain significant past events
on the basis of currently existing evidence
why study history?•to know what happened
•sense of identity
•defense against propaganda...get to the “truth”
•enrich our understanding of human nature
•to understand the context of art/music
•to make meaning of the present
I. Evidence
How do we know what happened?
Motel of the Mysteries, David Macaulay
The Great Train Robbery, 1963
misdirection of languagecontext
cultural paradigms
primary sources: the “bedrock” of evidence...agree?
Radio Lab, Yellow Rain,September 2012
what does this tell us about evidence?
II. The Historian
selection?
top choice: choice of topic influenced by their current
preoccupations
bias...
confirmation bias: evidence that supports their own case
national: pre-existing cultural and political prejudices
Furay and Salevouris (1988) define historiography as "the study of the way history has been and is written — the history of historical writing... When you study 'historiography' you do not study the events of the past directly, but the changing interpretations of those events in the works of individual historians."
Historiography
theories
???????????
great maneconomic
psycho-historyfeminist
environmental
history is determined by great individuals
Great Man
“Economic history is the study of economies or economic phenomena in the past. Analysis in economic history is undertaken using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods, and by applying economic theory to historical situations and institutions.” History is determined by economic factors.
“Feminist history refers to the re-reading of history from a female perspective. The goal of feminist history is to explore and illuminate the female viewpoint of history through rediscovery of female writers, artists, philosophers, etc., in order to recover and demonstrate the significance of women's voices and choices in the past.”
“Marxist or historical materialist historiography is a school of historiography influenced by Marxism. The chief tenets of Marxist historiography are the centrality of social class and economic constraints in determining historical outcomes.Marxist historiography has made contributions to the history of the working class, oppressed nationalities, and the methodology of history from below.”
Environmental history is the study of human interaction with the natural world over time. In contrast to other historical disciplines, it emphasizes the active role nature plays in influencing human affairs. Environmental historians study how humans both shape their environment and are shaped by it.
Psychohistory is the study of the psychological motivations of historical events. It combines the insights of psychotherapy with the research methodology of the social sciences to understand the emotional origin of the social and political behavior of groups and nations, past and present.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfYQAPhjwzAText