Historiography: Theory & Method Notes for "B.A." & "M.A." University Exams

What is History & Historical analysis (Fact & Evidence)

What is History & Historical analysis (Fact & Evidence)

History is the study of the past - specifically the people, societies, events and problems of the past - as well as our attempts to understand them. It is a narrati...

Aug 26, 2022 · 4 min read
Relationship of History with other social Sciences (Politics, Economics, Sociology etc)

Relationship of History with other social Sciences (Politics, Economics, Sociology etc)

History is the study of the past - specifically the people, societies, events and problems of the past - as well as our attempts to understand them. Many scholars held...

Aug 24, 2022 · 10 min read
Theories of history (Random, Cyclical, Great Man, Great Mind etc.)

Theories of history (Random, Cyclical, Great Man, Great Mind etc.)

Theories of history are theories for why things happened the way they did (and possibly what that means for the future). 1) Random Theory One popular idea today is ...

Aug 24, 2022 · 3 min read
Historical Research methodology (Steps in historical research)

Historical Research methodology (Steps in historical research)

Historical research methodology is the step-by-step structure of the procedures that a historical researcher must follow to produce a worthy research outcome. Research method...

Aug 24, 2022 · 6 min read
Primary and Secondary Sources in History

Primary and Secondary Sources in History

All the material which has a direct bearing or can be any assistance in constructing the history of a particular period is called as historical facts or sources. The h...

Aug 24, 2022 · 3 min read
Verification & Authenticity of Historical Data (External & Internal Criticism)

Verification & Authenticity of Historical Data (External & Internal Criticism)

The data of historical sources is subject to two types of evaluation. These two types are: 1) External evaluation (external criticism) The technique of testing the degr...

Aug 24, 2022 · 4 min read
Operations in Historiography (Preliminary, Analytical & Synthetic)

Operations in Historiography (Preliminary, Analytical & Synthetic)

Historical research methodology, developed by Niebuhr (1892-1971 AD) and Ranke (1795-1866 AD) and followed ever since, may be divided into four main parts. They are P...

Aug 24, 2022 · 7 min read
Historiography: Ancient historiography (Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, Greek & Roman)

Historiography: Ancient historiography (Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, Greek & Roman)

Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. ...

Aug 24, 2022 · 23 min read
Historiography: Medieval historiography (Augustine, Bede, Otto, Al-Biruni & Ibn Khaldun)

Historiography: Medieval historiography (Augustine, Bede, Otto, Al-Biruni & Ibn Khaldun)

During the Middle Ages, medieval historiography included the works of chronicles in medieval Europe, Islamic histories by Muslim historians, and the Korean and Japanese historical writings...

Aug 24, 2022 · 17 min read
Historiography: Renaissance (Petrarch, Biondo, Machiavelli & Guicciardini)

Historiography: Renaissance (Petrarch, Biondo, Machiavelli & Guicciardini)

The Renaissance was a glowing period of European cultural, artistic, political and economic "rebirth" following the Middle Ages. Generally described as taking place from ...

Aug 24, 2022 · 6 min read
Historiography: Enlightenment (Montesquieu, Voltaire, Robertson, Gibbon)

Historiography: Enlightenment (Montesquieu, Voltaire, Robertson, Gibbon)

The Age of Enlightenment, or simply the Enlightenment, was an intellectual and philosophical movement that dominated Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries with global influences an...

Aug 24, 2022 · 4 min read
Historiography: 19th Century (Romanticism, History as Literature & French Historiography)

Historiography: 19th Century (Romanticism, History as Literature & French Historiography)

The assumption of the philosophers that faith and feeling must submit to reason provoked a romanticist reaction which looked upon life and its interpretation as based more on feeling than...

Aug 24, 2022 · 10 min read
Historiography: 20th Century (Relativism, Marxist & Economic Historiography)

Historiography: 20th Century (Relativism, Marxist & Economic Historiography)

The 20th-century historiography in major countries is characterized by a move to universities and academic research centers. Historical Relativism In summary, historical r...

Aug 24, 2022 · 6 min read
Ancient Indian Historiography (Sources, Tradition, Itihasa, Puranas, Charita)

Ancient Indian Historiography (Sources, Tradition, Itihasa, Puranas, Charita)

India is thought to be one of the world's first civilised countries, the ancient Indians did, in fact, have a strong sense of history. However, it is widely assumed t...

Aug 24, 2022 · 12 min read
Medieval Indian Historiography (Delhi Sultanate & Mughal Historiography)

Medieval Indian Historiography (Delhi Sultanate & Mughal Historiography)

It was in the wake of the Muslim conquest of India that historiography as a deliberate form of cultural expression was introduced into India. The advent of Islam started a gr...

Aug 24, 2022 · 11 min read
Modern Indian Historiography (British India & Indian nationalist historiography)

Modern Indian Historiography (British India & Indian nationalist historiography)

Recovery of ancient Indian history One of the positive results of the British conquest of India was the recovery of ancient Indian history on modern lines of historiography. ...

Aug 24, 2022 · 8 min read
What is "Historicism" ? (Meaning, Variants & Crticism)

What is "Historicism" ? (Meaning, Variants & Crticism)

"Historism" is a philosophical and historiographical theory, founded in 19th-century Germany and especially influential in 19th and 20th century Europe. In those times there...

Aug 24, 2022 · 2 min read