History as an area of knowledge "The past is never dead. It's not even past." In the following enquiry we are going to be exploring History as an AOK. By the end you should be able to give a defintion of what history is, outline reasons why we study History and explain some of the problems with finding out about the past.
1. Introduction
Imagine waking up one morning to discover that you have lost your memory. To what extent would you able to reconstruct your identity by examining the objects in your room?
How similar is this problem to those facing a historian?
Discuss: What are the problems of studying the distant past in contrast to the recent?
World War Two documentary: Watch the following clip of a documentary about World War Two
Note down the answers to these questions:
i. What did people have to eat? ii. How did people deal with the lack of electricity? iii. What was a hibernation year?
List all the sources and techniques used in this news report to give it a sense of authority.
What point do you think the producers of this clip were trying to make about "Television History"?
ii. Bayeaux Tapestry
What do you know about the Bayeux Tapestry? What facts does it tell us about history?
Watch the following clip and dicuss the point that its making:
There are several scenes in the Bayeux tapestry that we have no other evidence for!
b. Significance
History is not a record of everything that happened in the past, but is concerned with only the significant events in the past
Rate the historical significance of the following events:
a. The publiciation of Charles Darwin's The Origins of the Species in 1859 b. Mr Newman's last TOK class c. The asassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948 d. The 1930 soccer World Cup Final - which was won by Uruguay e. The birth of Bill Gates in 1955 f. Former president Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky g. The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001
3. Why study History? a. History gives us a sense of identity
If a community doesn't know where it has come from, it will be impossible for you to make sense of the present or what you should do in the future
You can only really know someone if you know their history - same with countries
Make sense of current affairs needs an understanding of history
b. History is a defence against propaganda
Government's wanting History in school to promote national pride
Abuse: legitimise rule, justify territorial expansion, whitewash past crimes
Guard us against politician's spin
Puncture myths: American Indian Chief Seattle - How can you buy...
c. History enriches our understanding of human nature
Shows us what human beings have thought and done in a wide variety of circumstances
4. How can the past be known? a. Primary sources: written by someone there at the time - bedrock of history, but problems with them...
Fallible eyewitness accounts: what can influence peoples' perceptions of the same event
Social bias: primary reflect interests of the writers (some peoples' stories we will never know)
Deliberate manipulation:
However, we should not be overly skeptical...
We can test them by asking questions e.g. What were the author's motives?
We can compare with other primary sources
We can use legal and administrative documents which are less likely to be biased
5. Writing history a. History is a selection of a selection:
Knowledge of the past is first filtered through those who saw it and then through the eyes of the historian who wrote it
But, historian can compensate for bias
Selections are necessary
b. The advantages of hindsight
The historian knows how things turned out and can see the significance of certain events e.g. Fall of the Bastille
They can divide history into periods
The writing of history is influenced by the era in which it is written
c. Disadvantages of hindsight
Hindsight bias - it can be forgotten that things could have turned out very differently
6. The problem of bias a. Topic choice bias:influenced by society they grow up in.
However....it does not affect ones treatment of the topic
b. Confirmation bias: appeals to evidence that supports their case
Good historians don't do this. Evidence often changes their position
c. National bias: pre-existing cultural and political prejudices
Historians' work is critiqued by other historians meaning biases would be pointed out
7. Theories of history a. The 'great person' theory of history
AJP Taylor: "The history of Europe can be written in terms of three titans: Napoleon, Bismarck and Lenin"
Collingwood on empathy - understanding peoples' actions by delving into their minds
b. Economic determinism
Karl Marx - technological and economic factors that are engines of change
"The past is never dead. It's not even past."
In the following enquiry we are going to be exploring History as an AOK. By the end you should be able to give a defintion of what history is, outline reasons why we study History and explain some of the problems with finding out about the past.
1. Introduction
2. What is history?
a. Evidence
- Note down the answers to these questions:
i. What did people have to eat?ii. How did people deal with the lack of electricity?
iii. What was a hibernation year?
ii. Bayeaux Tapestry
b. Significance
- History is not a record of everything that happened in the past, but is concerned with only the significant events in the past
- Rate the historical significance of the following events:
a. The publiciation of Charles Darwin's The Origins of the Species in 1859b. Mr Newman's last TOK class
c. The asassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948
d. The 1930 soccer World Cup Final - which was won by Uruguay
e. The birth of Bill Gates in 1955
f. Former president Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky
g. The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001
3. Why study History?
a. History gives us a sense of identity
- If a community doesn't know where it has come from, it will be impossible for you to make sense of the present or what you should do in the future
- You can only really know someone if you know their history - same with countries
- Make sense of current affairs needs an understanding of history
b. History is a defence against propaganda- Guard us against politician's spin
- Puncture myths: American Indian Chief Seattle - How can you buy...
c. History enriches our understanding of human nature4. How can the past be known?
a. Primary sources: written by someone there at the time - bedrock of history, but problems with them...
- Fallible eyewitness accounts: what can influence peoples' perceptions of the same event
- Social bias: primary reflect interests of the writers (some peoples' stories we will never know)
- Deliberate manipulation:
However, we should not be overly skeptical...5. Writing history
a. History is a selection of a selection:
- Knowledge of the past is first filtered through those who saw it and then through the eyes of the historian who wrote it
- But, historian can compensate for bias
- Selections are necessary
b. The advantages of hindsight- The historian knows how things turned out and can see the significance of certain events e.g. Fall of the Bastille
- They can divide history into periods
- The writing of history is influenced by the era in which it is written
c. Disadvantages of hindsight6. The problem of bias
a. Topic choice bias:influenced by society they grow up in.
- However....it does not affect ones treatment of the topic
b. Confirmation bias: appeals to evidence that supports their case- Good historians don't do this. Evidence often changes their position
c. National bias: pre-existing cultural and political prejudices7. Theories of history
a. The 'great person' theory of history
- AJP Taylor: "The history of Europe can be written in terms of three titans: Napoleon, Bismarck and Lenin"
- Collingwood on empathy - understanding peoples' actions by delving into their minds
b. Economic determinism- Karl Marx - technological and economic factors that are engines of change
c. Role of chance