What is History?

PLURALISM

A framework of interaction in which groups show sufficient respect & tolerance of each other, that they fruitfully coexist & interact without conflict or assimilation.

How & What We Remember Matters

A society's identity is the product of the myriad individuals, forces, & events that constitute its past. History, the study of the past, is society's collective memory. Without that collective memory, society would be as rootless & adrift as an individual with amnesia. Of the many legitimate reasons for studying history, this is one of the most compelling. Individually & collectively what we are is the product of what we have been. In the words of philosopher George Santayana, "A country without a memory is a country of madmen."

History provides us a sense of our own identity.

Each of us is born into a nation, but also into a region, into a culture, into an ethnic group, into a social class, into a family. Each of them can or does influence us in a number of ways. Thus, the life experiences and values of an African American born into a poor rural family in the South are apt to differ greatly from those of a white middle-class Californian. The study of history helps us to get our bearings in such respects—in other words it allows us to achieve a social as well as a personal identity.

History enables us to understand the tendencies of humankind, of so¬cial institutions, and all aspects of the human condition.

Given the vast range of its inquiry, history is the best "school" for study of the many dimensions of human behavior: heroism and humiliation, selflessness and greed, martyrdom and evil excess, freedom and tyranny—all these are part of the record and part of the story that history tells.

History provides the basic background for many other disciplines.

Historical knowledge is extremely valuable in the pursuit of other disciplines—literature, art, religion, political science, sociology, and economics. Further, with regard to the last three, it is fair to argue that the social sciences "are in fact daughter disciplines [to history], for they arose, each of them, out of his¬torical investigation, having long formed part of avowed historical writing.

Secondary Sources

Interpretations of primary sources by historians having an open-ended conversation with each other.

To Excite & Inflame Citizens to Action

Large-scale social movements always begin with small groups of informed & engaged citizen- activists. In a democracy, uninformed, non-voting citizens have essentially abandoned their civic responsibility to the community. We might not think change was possible if we did not know from history how others have stopped injustices in the past.

History—good history—is a corrective for misleading analogies and "lessons" of the past.

Many who believe the proposition that history is relevant to an understanding of the present often go too far in their claims. Nothing is easier to abuse than the historical analogy or parallel. Time and again politi¬cians, journalists, and sloppy historians can be heard declaring that "history proves" this or "history shows" that. But the historical record is so rich and varied that one can find examples that seem to support any position or opinion. History in this sense is much like the Bible. If one reads selectively, Biblical passages can be found to support a variety of strange and peculiar notions. Good history, on the other hand, can expose the inapplicability of many inaccurate, misleading comparisons.

History can help one develop tolerance and open-mindedness.

Most of us have a tendency to regard our own cultural styles and values as right and proper. Studying the past is like going to a foreign country—they do things differently there. Returning from such a visit to the past, we have, perhaps, rid ourselves of some of our inherent cultural provincialism and narrow-mindedness.

Our Worldviews are "Socially Constructed"

Much of what we assume to be "natural" & refer to as "universal human nature" is actually invented or "socially constructed." You are who you are b/c of the surrounding culture into which you were socialized as a child. Change the experiences & the person can change.

History can be entertainment.

Much written history is also good literature, and the stories historians relate are often far more engaging and entertaining than those we find in works of fiction.

History

NOT the study of "the past" BUT the study of surviving evidence and sources about the past; the account of change over time. Part social science, BUT also like the humanities, because history is: all about interpretation & narrative (i.e., storytelling). also about "facts," BUT facts must be stated in words, and words can be manipulated, distorted, and shaped to their author's purpose.

Human Minds are "Blank Slates"

The 17th-century English philosopher John Locke compared the human mind to a sheet of "white paper" (others have since termed it a "blank slate") upon which EXPERIENCES are then inscribed. We are not born with pre-existing, innate ideas about anything. Our experiences, which begin in the womb, add up to form each of our individual personalities/identities.

American Exceptionalism

The belief that the USA has a special, unique history & destiny that sets it apart from other nations. This sounds like a reasonable belief for any people to hold about their homeland, BUT many Americans also believe that the USA is so special that it is exempted from the cycles of history & the patterns of development & decline experienced by other countries--that somehow history does not apply to the USA. Historians find fault w/ such a simplistic view of exceptionalism.

History helps us better understand the present.

The cliché is true that to understand the present one must understand the past. History, of course, can¬not provide perfect, ready-made answers to today's problems (past and present events never exactly parallel each other), but a knowledge of relevant historical background is essential for a balanced and in-depth understanding of many current world situations.

EGALITARIANISM

The moral doctrine which holds that equality ought to prevail throughout society. One can best understand various types of egalitarianism by asking "Who is supposed to be equal?" & "In what respect are they supposed to be equal?"

The careful study of history teaches many critical skills.

The skills of examining, evaluating, and interpreting evidence and then presenting one's findings in a coherent and systematic way are central to historical investigation. Such analytical and communication skills are highly usable in other academic pursuits—and in almost any career you choose.

Self-Improvement through Cultural Literacy

There are some things a college-educated person simply ought to know. Knowledge of factoids & trivia, however, is less important than becoming familiar with how the world works (& has worked) & how things came to be the way they are.

Cultures are Not Superior or Inferior to Each Other, Just Different

What is culture? In the sense that social scientists use the term, culture means all patterns of human behavior & all products of human work & thought (arts, beliefs, institutions, etc.) that are spread by language & other forms of social expression.

enthrocentrism

belief that your cultural traditions and assumptions are superior to those of others

presentism

faulty way of interpreting history that attempts to apply present-day ideas,standards,attitudes, and morals to historical figures and events

Primary Sources

the actual records that have survived from the past, including all traces left by humans—their ideas, social customs, institutions, languages, literatures, material products, & even their physical remains. Primary sources always date from the time period being studied & are frequently eyewitness accounts left by persons directly involved in the historical event.