Historiography The Study of History: Mini-Skirts of the Mind

Mesopotamia and Egypt Sumerian King List Tombs, Dynasties, etc.

The Hebrews: All events happen because they are part of God’s plan. 1.History’s purpose is to reveal the unfolding relationship between God and his chosen people. History also serves the prophetic function of using the past to point to the future. 2.Hebrews saw past events as singular, non-repetitive, which gave each a special, God-given meaning shaping men’s affairs. 3.Thus history is a divine drama that had sacred meaning and moral significance.

The Greeks: Western History is Born a specific literary art – large themes about human life and conduct. Historiai A story with details “Researches,” “investigations” about universal themes and absolute truths. Drama expressed in powerful language Why History? To preserve accounts of great deeds. To teach “lessons” derived from the past. To shape the future’s opinion of one.

Summary : Herodotus and Thucydides What was remarkable? They were well-read, well-traveled and curious. They made hypotheses and applied logic and reason to their subjects. They were critical and fair-minded thinkers. They “investigated” by questioning, interviewing people and by recording and collating information. They were elegant and sometimes entertaining writers. Father of History

The Romans: A.U.C. (753 BC) or in the reign of … Julius Caesar Livy Tacitus

Medieval The Bible & Christian world view (e.g. measuring time using anno domini – 525 AD) Venerable Bede Petrarch

The Enlightenment History is a branch of rhetoric Voltaire

19 th Century: The Science of History Carlyle Van Ranke – sought to professionalize the study by grounding it in a rigorous, empirical approach to the past – one based on primary sources and archival research. He sought to separate it from literature. The historian should aspire to present the past as it really was. Hegel & Marx Spencer

20 th Century: The Science of History Turner Annales School Foucault Saïd Zemon-Davis

21 st Century: The Narrative of History Hayden V. White: Post-Modernism Historical narrative is just another form of fiction. In choosing our past, we choose a present; and vice versa.

What interests Historiographers? and why students care? 1.Consider reliability of the sources used, in terms of authorship, credibility of the author, and the authenticity or corruption of the text. (P.O.V.) 2.Consider historiographical tradition or framework. Every historian uses one (or more) historiographical traditions, for example Marxist, Annales School, "total history", or political history.MarxistAnnales Schoolpolitical history 3.Examine moral issues 4.Analyze Revisionism versus orthodox interpretations Revisionism 5.Zero in on historical metanarrativesmetanarratives