Introduction to Historiography
Historiography is most commonly described as ‘the history of history’ and how interpretations of the past change over time. Historiography questions help reveal how historians have shaped our understanding of the past and how and why do histories change over time. For example, in the 1920s, First World War British generals were considered great commanders who helped win the war. By the 1930s historical writing shifted and those same British generals became villains who incompetently sacrificed soldiers’ lives needless. Today’s historians see merit in both perspectives and have added new ones.
Why do students need to know this?
Because history is neither “fixed, final, or forever.” While certain facts can be verified, answers to questions of how and why the past unfolded the way it did are always open to debate meaning that teachers and students cannot expect an absolute right answer! Understanding historiographical debate and change encourages students to comprehend and respect differing perspectives.
Historiographical questions to consider
Who writes history and for what purpose?
How is a work of history shaped by the historian’s “present”?
How do historians’ perspectives influence how they judge the past, consciously or unintentionally?
(i.e. their nationality, political persuasion, ideology, age, gender)
How does an historian's academic community - feminist history, labour history, environmental history, etc. - influence how he or she approaches the past?
What does each work of history contribute to our collective knowledge of the past? Perhaps new sources, new questions,
or new perspectives?
What sources does the historian chose to base their work upon? How much primary evidence do they consult compared to secondary published works?
How does the historian’s choice of which sources to include and which ones to exclude shape their work?
Who is the historian's target audience? Participants in an historic event such as veterans; other historians and professional colleagues; students; members of the public; a national or international audience?
Guideposts to Historiography
Our Vimy and Normandy modules explore this seventh concept based on these guideposts to scaffold student understanding.
Students will use this graphic organizer to analyze accounts of these two events.
Guidepost 1– History, the systematic record of the past, is constructed by historians
whose work is shaped by conventions of practice established by a disciplinary
“community of inquiry.”
Guidepost 2 – The overall disciplinary community of inquiry in history is made up of
intersecting sub communities divided by topics of interest, approaches to studying the
past, and forms of reporting or representing the results of their work.
Guidepost 3 – Members of the historical community of inquiry contest virtually all
aspects of the historical enterprise including topics investigated, sources used, methods of
analysis, and accounts produced.
Guidepost 4 – Historiography is itself socially located and historical. In other words the
conventions and accounts generally agreed to by the community of inquiry are shaped by
social and culture contexts and vary across contexts and over time.
Guidepost 5 – Historians endeavour to set their own work in the context of the historiography
related to their area of interest.
Further reading
Trent University: How to Write a Historiography
The National Writing Project: Historiography? What's That?
Social Studies for the 21st Century blog: Historiography for the Secondary Social Studies Classroom
History Department, Queen's College New York: Historiography
Historiography is most commonly described as ‘the history of history’ and how interpretations of the past change over time. Historiography questions help reveal how historians have shaped our understanding of the past and how and why do histories change over time. For example, in the 1920s, First World War British generals were considered great commanders who helped win the war. By the 1930s historical writing shifted and those same British generals became villains who incompetently sacrificed soldiers’ lives needless. Today’s historians see merit in both perspectives and have added new ones.
Why do students need to know this?
Because history is neither “fixed, final, or forever.” While certain facts can be verified, answers to questions of how and why the past unfolded the way it did are always open to debate meaning that teachers and students cannot expect an absolute right answer! Understanding historiographical debate and change encourages students to comprehend and respect differing perspectives.
Historiographical questions to consider
Who writes history and for what purpose?
How is a work of history shaped by the historian’s “present”?
How do historians’ perspectives influence how they judge the past, consciously or unintentionally?
(i.e. their nationality, political persuasion, ideology, age, gender)
How does an historian's academic community - feminist history, labour history, environmental history, etc. - influence how he or she approaches the past?
What does each work of history contribute to our collective knowledge of the past? Perhaps new sources, new questions,
or new perspectives?
What sources does the historian chose to base their work upon? How much primary evidence do they consult compared to secondary published works?
How does the historian’s choice of which sources to include and which ones to exclude shape their work?
Who is the historian's target audience? Participants in an historic event such as veterans; other historians and professional colleagues; students; members of the public; a national or international audience?
Guideposts to Historiography
Our Vimy and Normandy modules explore this seventh concept based on these guideposts to scaffold student understanding.
Students will use this graphic organizer to analyze accounts of these two events.
Guidepost 1– History, the systematic record of the past, is constructed by historians
whose work is shaped by conventions of practice established by a disciplinary
“community of inquiry.”
Guidepost 2 – The overall disciplinary community of inquiry in history is made up of
intersecting sub communities divided by topics of interest, approaches to studying the
past, and forms of reporting or representing the results of their work.
Guidepost 3 – Members of the historical community of inquiry contest virtually all
aspects of the historical enterprise including topics investigated, sources used, methods of
analysis, and accounts produced.
Guidepost 4 – Historiography is itself socially located and historical. In other words the
conventions and accounts generally agreed to by the community of inquiry are shaped by
social and culture contexts and vary across contexts and over time.
Guidepost 5 – Historians endeavour to set their own work in the context of the historiography
related to their area of interest.
Further reading
Trent University: How to Write a Historiography
The National Writing Project: Historiography? What's That?
Social Studies for the 21st Century blog: Historiography for the Secondary Social Studies Classroom
History Department, Queen's College New York: Historiography