The argument that all history needs to be evaluated for authorial bias is quite valid. This bias leads us to ensure that certain facts are included in our account of events and that others are omitted. All writing, not just historical, is affected by the beliefs and opinions of the author. While we may critically evaluate the sources we use, we will still select sources that support and defend our pre-conceived ideas surrounding the events we study. By not taking the time to look at and understand these prejudices in our own thinking, we will not be able to evaluate the prejudices of the authors we study.
I think that the “Marwick 20% Rule” is a misrepresentation of the truth. The idea that 20 % of all written history is influenced by personal bias and outside pressure from society, politics, etc. is an understatement of the truth. I feel that 100% of recorded history is influenced by social and personal prejudice. No matter how much we strive for an unbiased accounting of events, everything we do, not just our writing, is influenced by personal opinion. Even works such as dictionaries of history, simple accountings of names, dates, etc. are guided by personal opinions of the authors. They chose what events get in and which ones are not worth mentioning. All dictionaries of the history of England will tell you that William the Conqueror landed in 1066. Very few will tell you that he set sail numerous times before making the successful crossing of the channel and that he did not land where he had hoped. Through critical examination of our sources to evaluate the competence of the authors we can learn what is influencing the authors and shaping what we read allowing us to fill in the gaps in the written accounts of the past.
Much of what is written about historical events focuses on who, what, when, and where of the past. By moving beyond this format into the how and why we can get a broader picture of events and an understanding of how they fit into the bigger picture. In truth it is the narrative histories that we enjoy and read most often. While historians fall back on diplomatic and social sources for hard facts, the story-telling narratives give us the how and why to support the recorded facts. To get the understanding we need requires two things; first, a study of motives among those whose works we study, and second, a look into our own motives for studying history. Until we fill in the blanks we can only ________________ history.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Tripartite Sources
Understanding the tripartite nature of written sources, the classifications of narrative, diplomatic, and social, and what these classifications entail is key in evaluating sources for their relevance in a given field of research. To understand that narrative sources are aimed at presenting the specific ideas, opinions, and facts chosen by the author to further their own goals helps researchers realize that narratives cannot be used to establish facts. Narratives are useful in understanding the society and culture in which they are written.
Knowing that diplomatic sources give evidence of, or create new legal situations helps researchers understand how governments worked. By knowing the particular styles and formats used by different governing bodies, historians can follow changes in these governments. Diplomatic sources are often very formal by nature with a great deal of attention given to the different parts of the document. For many years diplomatic sources were seen as the only pure source for historical research. While diplomatic sources offer greatly detailed accounts of how governments work, they lack the social aspects needed to fully understand why things happened.
The final leg of the tripartite, social sources, is based on records keeping. While at times social sources are less formal than narratives or diplomatic documents, they can still be very useful in learning about societies and cultures of the past; however, if studied as the only source in learning about the past, social documents can be very limited in their information.
To fully research a topic you need to find the blend of all three: narrative, diplomatic, and social sources. You have to have an accounting of how the government worked, who lived where and where they worked, and what they thought about the world around them. This knowledge can only be gained by blending all three types of sources, something that can only be done if the researcher understands the nature of these sources and how they relate.
Knowing that diplomatic sources give evidence of, or create new legal situations helps researchers understand how governments worked. By knowing the particular styles and formats used by different governing bodies, historians can follow changes in these governments. Diplomatic sources are often very formal by nature with a great deal of attention given to the different parts of the document. For many years diplomatic sources were seen as the only pure source for historical research. While diplomatic sources offer greatly detailed accounts of how governments work, they lack the social aspects needed to fully understand why things happened.
The final leg of the tripartite, social sources, is based on records keeping. While at times social sources are less formal than narratives or diplomatic documents, they can still be very useful in learning about societies and cultures of the past; however, if studied as the only source in learning about the past, social documents can be very limited in their information.
To fully research a topic you need to find the blend of all three: narrative, diplomatic, and social sources. You have to have an accounting of how the government worked, who lived where and where they worked, and what they thought about the world around them. This knowledge can only be gained by blending all three types of sources, something that can only be done if the researcher understands the nature of these sources and how they relate.
Review of the Historical Primer Website
1. Most Difficult Concept to Embrace
The most difficult concept for me in doing historical research is one of the very first steps, asking a good question. I have the problem of being interested in everything, so I want to know it all. To narrow a topic down to something that can be easily studied is very difficult for me. An example is my interest in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in England. I am fascinated by this event not only because it in itself was amazing, but also because of its widespread impact on the world of the 17th century and its continued impact of the world today. However, when it comes to studying the events of 1688, I often find myself reading about Queen Anne or Charles I instead of James II and William and Mary. I am so captivated by the great people and amazing events that lead up and follow the actual revolution that I often find myself sidetracked. As a result, I need to work to focus my research through asking better questions, something with which the website offers a great deal of information and help with. I found the fill-in-the-blank sentence, “I am studying___________ because I want to know ____________ in order to help my readers understand______________.” Very helpful in developing a tighter focus and better question about the topics I enjoy.
I am studying the Glorious Revolution of 1688 because I want to know what actions of James II and the monarchy lead to his overthrow in order to help my readers understand the misuse of power by the Stuarts.
2. Easiest Concept to Embrace
The easiest concept presented on the website for me to understand was a combination of the use of maps, photographs/pictures, and landscape to study and understand history. I enjoy analyzing maps and photographs for their historical value. When you are studying an ancient civilization you can learn a great deal by looking at the maps of how cities and countries were laid out as well as pictures of different forms of art left behind. The same skills can be used to study more modern societies. One can look at a picture and see beyond a family on vacation to see examples of the world around them allowing one to better understand the society they were visiting. The same thing can be done with landscapes in situations where there are no maps or photographs. We can look at the land and see how it has been changed and how it could have affected the peoples who lived there in the past.
3. Influence on My Research
The website, in my opinion, was very helpful. Much of the material presented was aimed at the beginning researcher so while I already knew much of it, it did serve as a beneficial refresher. The designers of the website made it very user friendly and laid it out in accordance with how you would go about writing a historical research paper, so the flow of the information on the website matched what you would need as you did your own research. I think I will be using the website in the future for its sections on formulating a good question and effective searching for sources.
The most difficult concept for me in doing historical research is one of the very first steps, asking a good question. I have the problem of being interested in everything, so I want to know it all. To narrow a topic down to something that can be easily studied is very difficult for me. An example is my interest in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in England. I am fascinated by this event not only because it in itself was amazing, but also because of its widespread impact on the world of the 17th century and its continued impact of the world today. However, when it comes to studying the events of 1688, I often find myself reading about Queen Anne or Charles I instead of James II and William and Mary. I am so captivated by the great people and amazing events that lead up and follow the actual revolution that I often find myself sidetracked. As a result, I need to work to focus my research through asking better questions, something with which the website offers a great deal of information and help with. I found the fill-in-the-blank sentence, “I am studying___________ because I want to know ____________ in order to help my readers understand______________.” Very helpful in developing a tighter focus and better question about the topics I enjoy.
I am studying the Glorious Revolution of 1688 because I want to know what actions of James II and the monarchy lead to his overthrow in order to help my readers understand the misuse of power by the Stuarts.
2. Easiest Concept to Embrace
The easiest concept presented on the website for me to understand was a combination of the use of maps, photographs/pictures, and landscape to study and understand history. I enjoy analyzing maps and photographs for their historical value. When you are studying an ancient civilization you can learn a great deal by looking at the maps of how cities and countries were laid out as well as pictures of different forms of art left behind. The same skills can be used to study more modern societies. One can look at a picture and see beyond a family on vacation to see examples of the world around them allowing one to better understand the society they were visiting. The same thing can be done with landscapes in situations where there are no maps or photographs. We can look at the land and see how it has been changed and how it could have affected the peoples who lived there in the past.
3. Influence on My Research
The website, in my opinion, was very helpful. Much of the material presented was aimed at the beginning researcher so while I already knew much of it, it did serve as a beneficial refresher. The designers of the website made it very user friendly and laid it out in accordance with how you would go about writing a historical research paper, so the flow of the information on the website matched what you would need as you did your own research. I think I will be using the website in the future for its sections on formulating a good question and effective searching for sources.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Why Study History
In the essay "Why Study History" Peter Stearns states, "History should be studied because it is essential to individuals and to society, and because it harbors beauty." Stearns then proceeds to offer a number of reasons why we should study history, for example: [it] helps us understand people and societies, [it] contributes to moral understanding, [it] is useful in the world of work, etc.
In George Orwell’s 1984, Winston Smith sums up why we study history when he writes, “I understand the How: I do not understand the Why.” 1
As someone with a great interest in both history and revolution, many of Stearns’ reasons for studying history resonated with me. Stearns first reason, history “helps us understand people and societies,” holds one of the key reasons I study history. When he states, “How can we evaluate war if the nation is at peace…” he strikes at the heart of why I study history. To understand the nations around us in peace, we need to understand the wars and conflicts that created the peace we see today. Later in his article he discusses history’s role in providing identity. Historical data gives us the knowledge we need to understand how countries and societies were formed and how they evolved into the modern world we know.
When you study a revolution, you need to understand the nation as it was before the war. To understand that you need to know how it was formed and in what ways it has changed since that forming. You need to be able to view evidence and events often presented in opposing manners. Stearns also discussed this towards the end of his article while listing the skills history students need. The ability to critically read conflicting interpretations of the same events is the most important skill for studying revolutions.
Overall I feel Stearns presented a great accounting of reasons people study history and what skills are needed to truly study and understand the past. He stresses the idea that history needs to be studied in a more engaging manner, that there needs to be a move beyond the lecture and note taking to a more scientific approach. I agree with his statement that if history is a science it should be taught as a lab to be more engaging and move beyond the simple memorization format that it has become in the American school system.
1.Orwell, George, 1984 (New York: New American Library of World Literature, Inc., 1962), 68.
In George Orwell’s 1984, Winston Smith sums up why we study history when he writes, “I understand the How: I do not understand the Why.” 1
As someone with a great interest in both history and revolution, many of Stearns’ reasons for studying history resonated with me. Stearns first reason, history “helps us understand people and societies,” holds one of the key reasons I study history. When he states, “How can we evaluate war if the nation is at peace…” he strikes at the heart of why I study history. To understand the nations around us in peace, we need to understand the wars and conflicts that created the peace we see today. Later in his article he discusses history’s role in providing identity. Historical data gives us the knowledge we need to understand how countries and societies were formed and how they evolved into the modern world we know.
When you study a revolution, you need to understand the nation as it was before the war. To understand that you need to know how it was formed and in what ways it has changed since that forming. You need to be able to view evidence and events often presented in opposing manners. Stearns also discussed this towards the end of his article while listing the skills history students need. The ability to critically read conflicting interpretations of the same events is the most important skill for studying revolutions.
Overall I feel Stearns presented a great accounting of reasons people study history and what skills are needed to truly study and understand the past. He stresses the idea that history needs to be studied in a more engaging manner, that there needs to be a move beyond the lecture and note taking to a more scientific approach. I agree with his statement that if history is a science it should be taught as a lab to be more engaging and move beyond the simple memorization format that it has become in the American school system.
1.Orwell, George, 1984 (New York: New American Library of World Literature, Inc., 1962), 68.
American Historical Association essay by William McNeill “Why Study History”.
"Memory is not something fixed and forever. As time passes, remembered personal experiences take on new meanings. A bitter disappointment may come to seem a blessing in disguise; a triumph may later turn sour, while something trivial may subsequently loom large-all because of what happens later on. Collective memory is quite the same. Historians are always at work reinterpreting the past, asking new questions, searching new sources and finding new meanings in old documents in order to bring the perspective of new knowledge and experience to bear on the task of understanding the past. This means, of course, that what we know and believe about history is always changing. In other words, our collective, codified memory alters with time just as personal memories do, and for the same reasons.”
I remember reading McNeil's Essay during my undergrad historical methods class and being struck by the same quote. I recall thinking about how often we are told, "These are the best days of your life" as children and teens and how we felt those who were telling us this were wrong. Now looking back through the rose colored glasses of nostalgia, those were the best days of our lives. We struggle with bills and family, work and home life, and wish for those easier times all the while the older generation is telling us, "These are the best days of our lives."
Dr Dan Dourghty, head of the LSSU History Dept where I received my BS, often said the greatest enemy of the historian is memory; so much of history relies on what we choose to remember. He would talk about the great and happy memories he had as a child growing up in Ireland during WWII and how his memories were a stark contrast to the poverty and terror the war really brought to his homeland. So while he lived through and experienced firsthand WWII in Ireland, he could not give a full picture of what life was like because of what he chose to remember.
"Memory is not something fixed and forever. As time passes, remembered personal experiences take on new meanings. A bitter disappointment may come to seem a blessing in disguise; a triumph may later turn sour, while something trivial may subsequently loom large-all because of what happens later on. Collective memory is quite the same. Historians are always at work reinterpreting the past, asking new questions, searching new sources and finding new meanings in old documents in order to bring the perspective of new knowledge and experience to bear on the task of understanding the past. This means, of course, that what we know and believe about history is always changing. In other words, our collective, codified memory alters with time just as personal memories do, and for the same reasons.”
I remember reading McNeil's Essay during my undergrad historical methods class and being struck by the same quote. I recall thinking about how often we are told, "These are the best days of your life" as children and teens and how we felt those who were telling us this were wrong. Now looking back through the rose colored glasses of nostalgia, those were the best days of our lives. We struggle with bills and family, work and home life, and wish for those easier times all the while the older generation is telling us, "These are the best days of our lives."
Dr Dan Dourghty, head of the LSSU History Dept where I received my BS, often said the greatest enemy of the historian is memory; so much of history relies on what we choose to remember. He would talk about the great and happy memories he had as a child growing up in Ireland during WWII and how his memories were a stark contrast to the poverty and terror the war really brought to his homeland. So while he lived through and experienced firsthand WWII in Ireland, he could not give a full picture of what life was like because of what he chose to remember.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Topics of Interest
For the first week of class we were required to type up a small statement on a topic of research that interested us and then list five sources from AMPU's online library that could be used in researching that topic. Anyone who has known me for any length of time will tell you that there is nothing like a good revolution to get me going. It is often a toss up as to whether I am a historian or a revlutionary, but I like to see myself as a revolutionary historian.
When I say I am interested in revolutionary history, I truly mean revolutionary with a small r, it is not a typo. I enjoy the study of all revolutions, not so much the actual fighting and war often associated, but the causes of the revolution in the first place as well as the effects they have on society following the upheaval. To look at a revolution from an economic or religious point of view and try to determine what exactly was the trigger, to study the changes in society leading up to the revolution helps give more insight than simply reading about who fought who where and who won in the end. Then this insight can be used to gage the health and well-being of the world around us in an effort to predict and, to a certain degree, control revolutions in today’s society.
There was also a bit of a disscussion going on about the nature of historical texts, how they could be boring and difficult to read. First, as a former history teacher, I agree, history texts, as in text books, are boring beyond all belief, but I disagree in the statement made that students are not interested in history. Over the years I have had several high school students, often co-workers, tell me that history is one of their favorite subjects, if only it were presented better in school. Second and this is where it gets tricky, I disagree, old history texts are great to read and I love them. I find too much of modern history is defined by politics, and while I know that politics influenced historians of the past, they still wrote clear and concise accounts of events that often happened within a couple generations of their lifetime. In regards to the language they wrote in, how easy would it be for Gibbons to read Max Hastings’ account of the Falklands War.
I will gladly admit however, that like all historians, I am biased. As an Ancient and Classical History Major, I enjoy nothing more than spending half my day having to look up Latin or Greek phrases that the historians of the day used at random, or trying to wrap my head around an account of a Viking raid written in Old English.
When I say I am interested in revolutionary history, I truly mean revolutionary with a small r, it is not a typo. I enjoy the study of all revolutions, not so much the actual fighting and war often associated, but the causes of the revolution in the first place as well as the effects they have on society following the upheaval. To look at a revolution from an economic or religious point of view and try to determine what exactly was the trigger, to study the changes in society leading up to the revolution helps give more insight than simply reading about who fought who where and who won in the end. Then this insight can be used to gage the health and well-being of the world around us in an effort to predict and, to a certain degree, control revolutions in today’s society.
There was also a bit of a disscussion going on about the nature of historical texts, how they could be boring and difficult to read. First, as a former history teacher, I agree, history texts, as in text books, are boring beyond all belief, but I disagree in the statement made that students are not interested in history. Over the years I have had several high school students, often co-workers, tell me that history is one of their favorite subjects, if only it were presented better in school. Second and this is where it gets tricky, I disagree, old history texts are great to read and I love them. I find too much of modern history is defined by politics, and while I know that politics influenced historians of the past, they still wrote clear and concise accounts of events that often happened within a couple generations of their lifetime. In regards to the language they wrote in, how easy would it be for Gibbons to read Max Hastings’ account of the Falklands War.
I will gladly admit however, that like all historians, I am biased. As an Ancient and Classical History Major, I enjoy nothing more than spending half my day having to look up Latin or Greek phrases that the historians of the day used at random, or trying to wrap my head around an account of a Viking raid written in Old English.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
March Madness
While I realize that this is just a rant, and nothing will ever come of it, I have to put it out there, March Madness is all wrong. Don't get me wrong here, I like and follow college basketball, nit the NBA. I think the NBA is a bunch of over-paid whiners and drama queens who never outgrew middle school.
I think the NCAA brackets for the tourney are a bit "fixed" and need fixed. There are 32 Div I conferences. I think to truly fix the problems with March Madness every Conf Champ should get a spot, there is about half of your teams. Next anyone who won a regular season championship that isn't already there gets a spot. After that any spots left are filled lottery style, everyone else gets their names put in a hat and somebody, possibly the President of the United States, picks names to fill in the rest of the bracket.
Everyone should then be seated based on their overall season record, best records get the higher ranks. So in truth, you could be one of the lottery teams and if your record is good enough you could be a #1 ranked team.
No more who you played and how much money you bring to the table, it is all based on how well you play.
I think the NCAA brackets for the tourney are a bit "fixed" and need fixed. There are 32 Div I conferences. I think to truly fix the problems with March Madness every Conf Champ should get a spot, there is about half of your teams. Next anyone who won a regular season championship that isn't already there gets a spot. After that any spots left are filled lottery style, everyone else gets their names put in a hat and somebody, possibly the President of the United States, picks names to fill in the rest of the bracket.
Everyone should then be seated based on their overall season record, best records get the higher ranks. So in truth, you could be one of the lottery teams and if your record is good enough you could be a #1 ranked team.
No more who you played and how much money you bring to the table, it is all based on how well you play.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Moving On
It has been over a year since my last post here, not something I am very proud of, but I am back and will attempt to be a more frequent visitor to my own blog. As the title says, I am moving on, in more ways than one.
I have set a few goals for this year, the first of which it to post more frequently. I also want to improve my physical health by dropping 25 lbs and taking 5 minutes off of my 5K time. I am going to base the running time on this years Chamber Chase in contrast to last years race.
I am also, after a 10 yr delay, returning to school. I will be starting my MA in Ancient and Classical History at American Public University in April. So if nothing else you will be reading a bunch of my school posts and papers.
I will admit I am a bit nervous about returning to school, but I am also better able to deal with the anxiety. In 1997 I officially returned to school after 5 yrs off while I was in the Army. I thought the difference in age and the time I had spent away from school would make it difficult for me to keep up with a younger generation. I was wrong, where they had youth and a better understanding of the school setting, I had age and guile. I did just fine. Here I am 10 yrs later looking at much the same situation. At 38 yr old I have to learn to navigate an online classroom and electronic library. But I am ready. I haven't had my brain turned off for the last decade, I have continued to read and study, just at my pace and on topics I picked. Now it is time to take the knowledge and experience I have and show it off a bit to a younger generation.
Hopefully they can keep up.
I have set a few goals for this year, the first of which it to post more frequently. I also want to improve my physical health by dropping 25 lbs and taking 5 minutes off of my 5K time. I am going to base the running time on this years Chamber Chase in contrast to last years race.
I am also, after a 10 yr delay, returning to school. I will be starting my MA in Ancient and Classical History at American Public University in April. So if nothing else you will be reading a bunch of my school posts and papers.
I will admit I am a bit nervous about returning to school, but I am also better able to deal with the anxiety. In 1997 I officially returned to school after 5 yrs off while I was in the Army. I thought the difference in age and the time I had spent away from school would make it difficult for me to keep up with a younger generation. I was wrong, where they had youth and a better understanding of the school setting, I had age and guile. I did just fine. Here I am 10 yrs later looking at much the same situation. At 38 yr old I have to learn to navigate an online classroom and electronic library. But I am ready. I haven't had my brain turned off for the last decade, I have continued to read and study, just at my pace and on topics I picked. Now it is time to take the knowledge and experience I have and show it off a bit to a younger generation.
Hopefully they can keep up.
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