Meaning of History

LEARNING

HISTORY
MEANING AND RELEVANCE
What is HISTORY?

It is derived from the Greek word

HISTORIA ίοτορα
which means knowledge acquired through
inquiry and investigation
The meaning of “HISTORY"
• The English word “history” is derived from
the Greek noun istoi’a, meaning learning
• For the Greek philosopher Aristotle, history

meant a systematic account of a set of
natural phenomena, whether or not it was a
chronological account
– EXCERPTS FROM UNDERSTANDING HISTORY: A PRIMER OF HISTORICAL METHOD
BY LOUIS GOTTSCHALK (1950, NEW YORK; KNOPF, P.17)
• Over time, the Latin word Scientia was used
to designate non-chronological systematic
accounts of natural phenomena – thus the
English word science

• The word history was usually reserved for
accounts of phenomena, especially human
affairs, in chronological order
• By its common definition, history means the
past of mankind

Adaptation to classical Latin:
Historia became known as the

past of the account of a person or of a
group of people through written
documents and historical evidences
History Differentiated:
History vs. Past
The past is not the same as history
History is the process of interpreting

evidence or records from the past in a
thoughtful and informed way.
It gives meaning, sense, and explanation
to the past in the present.
History vs. Prehistory
Prehistory is the period of human activity
prior to the invention of writing systems
History is the record of significant events

that happened in the past
History vs. Other Disciplines
No discipline is an island
History stands with social sciences and

humanities and vice versa
History, Historicity & Historiography
History is a narrative account used to

examine and analyze past events
Historicity is the authentication of

characters in history, as opposed to
legend or myth
History, Historicity & Historiography
Historiography is the writing of history,

and the understanding of how the
interpretations of historians
change over time
History vs. Herstory
History is etymologically unrelated to the

possessive pronoun ‘his’
It has nothing to do with the author

(“his” “story”)
Why study history?
Looking at the past teaches us to see the

world through different eyes –
appreciating the diversity of
human perceptions,
beliefs, and
cultures
Why study history?
Different and new perspectives

will enable us to analyze critically
the present contexts of society and beings
The Uses of History
“Those who have employed the
study of history, as they ought,
for their instruction, for the
regulation of their private
manners, and the management of
public affairs, must agree with me
that it is the most pleasant school
of wisdom.”
– JOHN DRYDEN
Nature of History: History as
Reconstruction
1. “Past-as-it-actually-happened”
– History in the first sense
2. Historian’s Accounts
– “Useful and accurate” glimpses of the
contours of the past
What is History?
a) Chronological Storytelling
b) Interpretive
c) Revisionist
d) Constant Process of Questioning
e) Integrative
f) Inclusive
g) Historiography
h) Relevant
Approaches:
IDEALISM HISTORICISM RELATIVISM
 People’s thoughts  “The autonomy of  Belief that there is
& the intent the past must be no absolute truth,
behind their respected “. and all views of
actions. (What is  Each event must history are valid.
meant by those be described in the  Each individual’s
events..) context of its time view is valid.
 Biased, incomplete (values).
or inaccurate.  Inhibits our ability
to fully learn from
its mistakes of the
past.
Issues Among Historians:
• “Belief Based On Consensus”
– Just because a majority believes in something
doesn’t make it valid.
– Accurate Reporting of History
• Perception & Interpretation
– Evidence should be able to hold up to scrutiny.
– In History, proof is not always available.
THEORIES OF HISTORY
CYCLICAL VIEW of HISTORY
The ancient Greeks thought that events occurred on
regular a basis
Herodotus (484-424 BCE)
Histories: story of men & states

as recurring cycles
THEORIES OF HISTORY
The ancient Greeks thought that events occurred on
regular a basis
Thucydides (460-404 BCE)
Envisioned time as recurring in a

cyclical fashion, a process
beyond the control of men
THEORIES OF HISTORY
Petrarch (1304-1374)
Revived cyclical concept of history
Basis of history: actions of

people
THEORIES OF HISTORY
Machiavelli (1469-1527)
Suggested that history could be

seen as a casebook of political
strategy
THEORIES OF HISTORY
Arnold Toynbee (1884-1975)

Oswald Spengler (1880-1936)
Believed that civilizations rise and

fall, each new one rising to a new
level
THEORIES OF HISTORY
LINEAR VIEW of HISTORY
This view implies the acceptance or

subscription to linear time. It views that history
is progressive, moving forward, and not having
a cyclical return
THEORIES OF HISTORY
Augustine (350-430 BCE)
Saw history as being the

unfolding of the plan of God, a
process that would end in the
Final Judgment
THEORIES OF HISTORY
Voltaire (1694-1788)
Saw history as cyclical but in a

more secular way
Envisioned four great ages of

man culminating in the scientific
enlightenment of Newton
THEORIES OF HISTORY
Marxist historians
Saw history as a series of class struggles that

inevitably ends in a workers’ revolution
THEORIES OF HISTORY
H.G. Wells (1866-1946)
Described history as a race

between education and disaster,
either as a world cataclysm or a
world state
THEORIES OF HISTORY
GREAT GOD VIEW of HISTORY
It is the theological version of history which

asserted that divine beings directed human
affairs together with the rest of the cosmos
Elaborated by the Sumerians, Babylonians,

Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and further
expounded in Israelite scriptures (Christian &
Mohammedan religions)
THEORIES OF HISTORY
GREAT MAN VIEW of HISTORY
Suggests that dominant personalities determine

the course of history
Rulers, warriors, statesmen are the decisive

forces of history & history is the record of the
deeds of great people
THEORIES OF HISTORY
BEST PEOPLE VIEW of HISTORY
Believes that some elite, the Best Race, the

favored nation, the ruling class alone make history
• Old Testament: Israelites – Chosen People

• Ancient Greeks regarded themselves as apex
of culture
• Hitler thought that the Aryan race was superior
THEORIES OF HISTORY
GREAT MIND VIEW of HISTORY
The conditions that create history are created or

changed by ideas
Anaxagoras: reason governs the world
Aristotle: God – prime mover of the universe – is

a pure mind engaged in thinking about itself
THEORIES OF HISTORY
HUMAN NATURE VIEW of HISTORY
History has been determined by the qualities of

human nature , good or bad
Thucydides: human nature & human behavior are

the same in one century and another
David Hume: mankind is so much the same in all

times and places
THEORIES OF HISTORY
ECONOMIC VIEW of HISTORY
Economic factors are the most important

determinant of history
Karl Marx (1818-1883): foremost proponent

- it was not the ideas that created the material
conditions but the reverse
THEORIES OF HISTORY
GENDER HISTORY
Looks at the past from the perspective of gender
Considers in what ways historical events &

periodization impact women differently from men
Joan Kelly: “Did Women Have a Renaissance?”

THEORIES OF HISTORY
POST-MODERN VIEW of HISTORY
History is “what we make of it”
The historian is left to his own imagination &

ideological bent to reconstruct what happened in
the past
Jacques Lacan & Michel Foucault: each

historical period has its own knowledge system
THEORIES OF HISTORY
OTHER VIEWS of HISTORY
• History: result of geographic factors

• Wars determine history
• Religion, race, & climate determine history’s
course
THEORIES OF HISTORY
OTHER VIEWS of HISTORY
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

History has no beginning or end
Michel Foucault (1926-1984)

The victors of a social struggle use their political
power to suppress their adversary’s version of
historical events in favor of their own
propaganda

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LEARNING

It is derived from the Greek word

• For the Greek philosopher Aristotle, history

– EXCERPTS FROM UNDERSTANDING HISTORY: A PRIMER OF HISTORICAL METHOD

– EXCERPTS FROM UNDERSTANDING HISTORY: A PRIMER OF HISTORICAL METHOD

Historia became known as the

History is the process of interpreting

History is the record of significant events

History stands with social sciences and

History is a narrative account used to

Historicity is the authentication of

Historiography is the writing of history,

History is etymologically unrelated to the

It has nothing to do with the author

Looking at the past teaches us to see the

Different and new perspectives

Herodotus (484-424 BCE)

Histories: story of men & states

Thucydides (460-404 BCE)

Envisioned time as recurring in a

Revived cyclical concept of history

Basis of history: actions of

Suggested that history could be

Arnold Toynbee (1884-1975)

Believed that civilizations rise and

This view implies the acceptance or

Augustine (350-430 BCE)

Saw history as being the

Saw history as cyclical but in a

Envisioned four great ages of

Saw history as a series of class struggles that

H.G. Wells (1866-1946)

Described history as a race

It is the theological version of history which

Elaborated by the Sumerians, Babylonians,

Suggests that dominant personalities determine

Rulers, warriors, statesmen are the decisive

Believes that some elite, the Best Race, the

• Old Testament: Israelites – Chosen People

The conditions that create history are created or

Anaxagoras: reason governs the world

Aristotle: God – prime mover of the universe – is

History has been determined by the qualities of

Thucydides: human nature & human behavior are

David Hume: mankind is so much the same in all

Economic factors are the most important

Karl Marx (1818-1883): foremost proponent

Looks at the past from the perspective of gender

Considers in what ways historical events &

Joan Kelly: “Did Women Have a Renaissance?”

History is “what we make of it”

The historian is left to his own imagination &

Jacques Lacan & Michel Foucault: each

• History: result of geographic factors

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

Michel Foucault (1926-1984)

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