remains a go-to reference for teachers and students everywhere. Fact Sheet. Global Network. President's Council. Academic Partners. Why Is History Important And How Can It Benefit Your Future?
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Four historians consider the most fundamental question of all, one famously posed by E. Carr almost 60 years ago. History is narratives. From chaos comes order. Perhaps we might even distill patterns and lessons to guide — but never to determine — our responses to the challenges faced today. History is the study of people, actions, what is history essay, decisions, interactions and behaviours. It is so compelling a subject because it encapsulates themes which expose the human condition in all of its guises and that resonate throughout time: power, weakness, corruption, tragedy, triumph … Nowhere are these themes clearer than in political history, still the necessary core of the field and the most meaningful of the myriad approaches to the study of history.
Yet political history has fallen out of fashion and subsequently into disrepute, wrongly demonised as stale and irrelevant. The result has been to significantly erode the utility of ordering, explaining and distilling lessons from the past. However, open and free debate — as in so many areas of life — is too often lacking and it is not difficult to locate the cause of this intolerance. Writing history can be a powerful tool; it has shaped identities, particularly at the national level. Moreover, it grants those who control the narrative the ability to legitimise or discredit actions, events and individuals in the present.
Yet to marshal history and send it into battle merely to serve the needs of the present is misuse and abuse. History should never be a weapon at the heart of culture wars. Sadly, once again, it is: clumsily wielded by those who deliberately seek to impose a clear ideological agenda. History is becoming the handmaiden of identity politics and self-flagellation. This only promotes poor, what is history essay, one-dimensional understandings of the past and continually diminishes the utility of the field. History stands at a crossroads; it must refuse to follow the trend of the times.
Any thoroughly researched and well-argued study of any aspect of the past counts, for me, as history. If things are better today in History departments, it is because the disciplinary frontiers have been redrawn. But we still have our borders, not all of which are imposed by our institutions or funding authorities. How many History departments would exclude an otherwise excellent candidate only because her sources are mostly literary? A great many, I dare say, including my own. Political, economic and social history are, without question, essential; so is the history of Europe and America.
But they are not the alpha and the omega of History as a discipline. We still do not pay enough attention to histories of ideas, of the arts, what is history essay, of medicine, of philosophy, what is history essay, of entertainment, of technology, what is history essay, whether in Europe or America or elsewhere. Nor do we feel particularly comfortable about biographical approaches to history. None of these potentially enriching themes can be addressed unless we jettison our atavistic equation of the archive with a collection of yellowing reams of paper. Though almost 60 years have passed since E. Carr first posed the question, undergraduates still continue to find much to unpack in his answers. has enjoyed a longer shelf-life than most works of actual history.
But it is a curious fact that What is History? remains a go-to reference for teachers and students everywhere. By contrast, Carr saw history as fundamentally a problem-solving discipline. Not only should historians divest themselves of the illusion that they could somehow stand outside the world in which they live, he argued. They should in fact embrace the fact that the study of the past could be oriented to the needs of the present. One can immediately see the appeal of such an argument today. Rather, what is history essay, I sense that the enduring fascination with Carr reflects something much more fundamental in how we view the relationship between past and present.
Each historian will view the relationship between past and present differently. One way to attempt to answer this question is to ask ourselves what and who are histories for? Such histories might take the form of origin stories, of relatively linear and perhaps teleological accounts — how did we come to organise our societies and political systems in the ways that we have what is history essay, for instance — or, as the apocryphal saying goes, a series of lessons to learn from in order to avoid the ignominy of repetition. Such an understanding of history conceals within itself a more exciting and fraught — though not necessarily antithetical — possibility. Just as we might look to the past to better understand the myriad, complicated ways in which our present world came to exist, historians might also set themselves the task of illuminating worlds unrealised and of other presents that might have existed.
Such histories, counter-intuitively, help us what is history essay our own times better either by underscoring the contingency of the world around us or, depending on your perspective, the enduring power of the structures responsible for foreclosing those other paths. These kinds of histories require attending to — and often recovering and reconstructing — narratives and perspectives that have been lost in dominant historical accounts. My own work has focused on unsuccessful revolutions and failed political visions in the early 20th century. More broadly, we might consider it a fundamental task of history to reveal the complexity and plurality that people lived with in the past.
Such histories can demonstrate how differently people have thought about and related to the world around them, including other ways of recording their ideas and experiences. Gandhi noted as much in when he dismissed conventional history as simply a record of war. In recovering what has been subsumed and forgotten — for instance, radical dissenting traditions that were drowned out, or anticolonial resistance movements that were defeated what is history essay history might instead serve much more emancipatory ends and open up spaces of critical and what is history essay possibility for our own times.
Head to Head, what is history essay. History Today Published in History Today Volume 70 Issue 8 August Historiography School Resources. Related Articles. How Good is Television as a Medium for History? Is Social Media Good for History? Popular articles. The Black Death: The Greatest Catastrophe Ever. What is History?
cause and effect divorce essay
History is becoming the handmaiden of identity politics and self-flagellation. This only promotes poor, one-dimensional understandings of the past and continually diminishes the utility of the field. History stands at a crossroads; it must refuse to follow the trend of the times. Any thoroughly researched and well-argued study of any aspect of the past counts, for me, as history. If things are better today in History departments, it is because the disciplinary frontiers have been redrawn. But we still have our borders, not all of which are imposed by our institutions or funding authorities.
How many History departments would exclude an otherwise excellent candidate only because her sources are mostly literary? A great many, I dare say, including my own. Political, economic and social history are, without question, essential; so is the history of Europe and America. But they are not the alpha and the omega of History as a discipline. We still do not pay enough attention to histories of ideas, of the arts, of medicine, of philosophy, of entertainment, of technology, whether in Europe or America or elsewhere. Nor do we feel particularly comfortable about biographical approaches to history.
None of these potentially enriching themes can be addressed unless we jettison our atavistic equation of the archive with a collection of yellowing reams of paper. Though almost 60 years have passed since E. Carr first posed the question, undergraduates still continue to find much to unpack in his answers. has enjoyed a longer shelf-life than most works of actual history. But it is a curious fact that What is History? remains a go-to reference for teachers and students everywhere. By contrast, Carr saw history as fundamentally a problem-solving discipline. Ce n'est après tout qu'un ramas de tracasseries qu'on fait aux morts Henry David Thoreau. Jane Austen. I read it a little as a duty, but it tells me nothing that does not either vex or weary me.
The quarrels of popes and kings, with wars or pestilences, in every page; the men all so good for nothing, and hardly any women at all—it is very tiresome. Ambrose Bierce. An account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools: Of Roman history, great Niebuhr's shown 'Tis nine-tenths lying. Faith, I wish 'twere known, Ere we accept great Niebuhr as a guide, Wherein he blundered and how much he lied. Malcolm X. The Passage of Time. Whether you like history or not, there's no denying the impact it leaves on us.
Gusti Bienstock Kollman. The [ Weimar] republic was only Imagine that, only fifteen years. But, then, Hitler was going to last a thousand years and he lasted only twelve, twelve years only! Douglas Adams. For instance, the first phase is characterized by the question "How can we eat? After such knowledge, what forgiveness? Think now History has many cunning passages, contrived corridors And issues, deceives with whispering ambitions, Guides us by vanities. Think now She gives when our attention is distracted And what she gives, gives with such supple confusions That the giving famishes the craving.
Gives too late What's not believed in, or if still believed, In memory only, reconsidered passion. Gives too soon Into weak hands, what's thought can be dispensed with Till the refusal propagates a fear. Think Neither fear nor courage saves us. Unnatural vices Are fathered by our heroism. Virtues Are forced upon us by our impudent crimes. Why did wars in Europe in the 20th century matter to countries around the world? How did Hitler gain and maintain power for as long as he had? How has this had an effect on shaping our world and our global political system today?
If we want to truly understand why something happened — in any area or field, such as one political party winning the last election vs the other, or a major change in the number of smokers — you need to look for factors that took place earlier. Only through the study of history can people really see and grasp the reasons behind these changes, and only through history can we understand what elements of an institution or a society continue regardless of continual change. History can help us become better informed citizens. It shows us who we are as a collective group, and being informed of this is a key element in maintaining a democratic society. Through knowledge of history, citizens can even change their old belief systems.
By looking at specific stories of individuals and situations, you can test your own morals and values. You can compare it to some real and difficult situations individuals have had to face in trying times. Looking to people who have faced and overcome adversity can be inspiring. You can study the great people of history who successfully worked through moral dilemmas, and also ordinary people who teach us lessons in courage, persistence and protest. The study of history is a non-negotiable aspect of better citizenship.
This is one of the main reasons why it is taught as a part of school curricula. People that push for citizenship history relationship between a citizen and the state just want to promote a strong national identity and even national loyalty through the teaching of lessons of individual and collective success. We learn from past atrocities against groups of people; genocides, wars, and attacks. Through this collective suffering, we have learned to pay attention to the warning signs leading up to such atrocities. Society has been able to take these warning signs and fight against them when they see them in the present day.
Knowing what events led up to these various wars helps us better influence our future. The skills that are acquired through learning about history, such as critical thinking, research, assessing information, etc, are all useful skills that are sought by employers. Many employers see these skills as being an asset in their employees and will hire those with history degrees in various roles and industries. Understanding past events and how they impact the world today can bring about empathy and understanding for groups of people whose history may be different from the mainstream. You will also understand the suffering, joy, and chaos that were necessary for the present day to happen and appreciate all that you are able to benefit from past efforts today. You can refine your reading skills by reading texts from a wide array of time periods.
Language has changed and evolved over time and so has the way people write and express themselves. You can also refine your writing skills through learning to not just repeat what someone else said, but to analyze information from multiple sources and come up with your own conclusions. There are so many sources of information out in the world. What was a victory for one group was a great loss for another — you get to create your own opinions of these events. It helps us understand the many reasons why people may behave the way they do. As a result, it helps us become more impartial as decision-makers. In the study of history you will need to conduct research.
This gives you the opportunity to look at two kinds of sources — primary written at the time and secondary sources written about a time period, after the fact. This practice can teach you how to decipher between reliable and unreliable sources. There are numbers and data to be learned from history. In terms of patterns: patterns in population, desertions during times of war, and even in environmental factors. These patterns that are found help clarify why things happened as they did. All people and cultures are living histories. The languages we speak are inherited from the past. Our cultures, traditions, and religions are all inherited from the past. We even inherit our genetic makeup from those that lived before us. Knowing these connections give you a basic understanding of the condition of being human.
Learning about history can be a great deal of fun. We have the throngs of movies about our past to prove it. History is full of some of the most interesting and fascinating stories ever told, including pirates, treasure, mysteries, and adventures. On a regular basis new stories from the past keep emerging to the mainstream. Better yet, there is a history of every topic and field. Whatever you find fascinating there is a history to go along with it. The subject of history can help you develop your skills and transform you to be a better version of yourself as a citizen, a student, and person overall. accredited university.
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