Skills and Strategies of the Historian

Historical Empathy Using your imagination to understand the feelings and motives of the past

Historical Agency Understanding that people were active agents who made decisions and took actions to resolve the issues affecting their lives

Historical Perspective Uncovering the different points of view found in the events and issues of the past

Historical Justice Being fair to all people, regardless of gender, race, class or other characteristics, in your research, your thesis and your presentation of information

Critical analysis Carefully examining and analysing all sources of evidence

Original research Conducting first-hand research to present a new analysis of an historical issue or event

Avoiding Historical Hindsight Avoiding making connections between the past and the present and imposing modern values and judgments on events of the past

Detecting Historical Bias Critically analysing evidence for bias, point of view, and prior assumptions

Understanding the complexity of Issues Understanding that issues are complicated and have multiple causes and effects

Abstract thinking Thinking about concrete events and actions of the past in terms of trends and other abstract forces of the time

Critical thinking Formulating, clarifying, and justifying your thoughts, arguments, and ideas, and proposing theories about the past based on a variety of evidence.

Respecting Differing Opinions and Interpretations Respecting the fact that there are different opinions on, and interpretations of, every issue. Notes taken from Voices and Visions