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Praktikos
While history textbooks often have glaring inadequacies, these can be put to the
advantage of the History teacher practising critical pedagogy.
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Worksheet: Historiography
The historiographic approaches of historians fit into some common schools of thought or theories.
Whig view of history
This interpretation is British in origin.
These scholars are usually traditional
although not conservative and
write from a British perspective.
They present history which shows
the world is getting better, moving
on a path to Enlightenment.
Whig histories typically see Europe
as having a positive influence on
the world. They look for examples
showing the West trying to do
the right thing, although not
always achieving it. They look at
history by understanding leaders
and government decisions, and
momentous events such as wars.
Feminism
The 1970s womens movement
led to greater power and influence
for women. Feminist approaches
to history were fodder for this
movement. Feminist historians argue
history traditionally focuses on
mens experiences. These historians
focus on the historical experience
of women. They look for examples
where women have been strong and
powerful.
Marxism
Marxist historians are politically
left-leaning and follow the ideas
of nineteenth-century scholar
Karl Marx. Marx argued that the
poor or working class have always
been treated badly by the rich and
powerful. Capitalism necessarily
subordinates labour to capital.
All history is the history of class
struggle.
Marxist histories usually focus on
the experiences of ordinary, poor
people. They look for examples
where working class people have
stood up for their rights or where
they have been denied those rights.
Postmodernism
Postmodernists question every
normally accepted truth from the
past. They also question progress
in history. The Holocaust exerted
a profound influence on the ideas
of postmodernism. Instead of
technology helping people to
have better lives, the Holocaust
revealed how modernity could
use technology for efficient mass
killing. So postmodernists reject a
lot of ideas from historians who see
progress over time.
Postcolonialism
Postcolonial historians are
revisionists who want to revise
traditional European-written
histories about colonies. They want
to find out about the indigenous
experience and to understand why
Europeans were able to colonise and
control them.
Postcolonial histories focus on the
experiences of indigenous people
in colonies. They often look for
examples where indigenous people
have defied colonial authority and
stood up for their rights.
Exceptionalism
Exceptionalists believe certain
nations follow their own
paths and are exempted from
ordinary expectations. American
exceptionalists, for example,
propose the United States has
unique qualities which make it stand
out from the rest of the world. They
point to the American Revolution
and the ideas of liberalism, pursuit
of happiness, equality and so forth.
German exceptionalists, likewise,
argue the Holocaust was the result of
exceptional historical developments
(the Sonderweg) in Germany.
Positivists and Empiricists
Positivists believe facts can be
neutral. History textbooks are often
positivist because they present the
idea there is just one way to interpret
the past.
Empiricists are academic historians
who reject the idea of starting
with a theory. Instead they try to
understand the past by doing the
research first, i.e. examining primary
sources.
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