The meaning of the term history is necessary to adequately understand the term
historiography. Academics do not always agree on the meaning of the term history.1
According to Cambridge Dictionary, history is the study of past events usually in
chronological order covering all aspects of human society.2 This includes political,
cultural, religious, social, economic, military, scientific, medical, and technological
developments. Compared to history, historiography studies how all those aspects of
human society influence how history is written over time.3 To determine how history
is written over time it is important to take into consideration if it is a primary source,
who wrote it and what kind of factors influenced how it was written.4 With
historiography not only the past is observed but also the effects the past has on the
present. This can be applied to almost everything in daily life, take for example
spices. While history might emphasize the introduction of certain spices to European
cuisine focusing on when this happened, historiography on the other concentrates on
questions like "How did trade routes and cultural exchanges shape the adoption of
these spices?"
In my opinion, historiography is very important because it helps us understand the
past and tells us how history is told. Historiography is much more than just recounting
historical events; it has an ever-changing nature and is never objective.5
Historiography makes the way we see history evolve overtime based on new
evidence or the shift in societal perspectives. This is what makes historiography so
impactful for our society because it shows that history is not one story but many.6
Historiography encourages us to think critical about the past, historical narratives and
by doing so it gives a voice to marginalized people. Historiography makes us aware
of the limitations of historical knowledge and acknowledges that there is never one
1 Lynn, Fendler, "History, Archaeology, Genealogy,” Bloomsbury, 2010, 38.
2 Fendler, "History, Archaeology, Genealogy," 38.
3 "Historiography," In Cambridge Dictionary, Accessed 19 march 2024,
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/historiography.
4 "Historiography," In Merriam Webster, Accessed 19 March 2024,
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/historiography.
5 Fendler, "History, Archaeology, Genealogy," 41-42.
6 Fendler, "History, Archaeology, Genealogy," 41-42.
historiography. Academics do not always agree on the meaning of the term history.1
According to Cambridge Dictionary, history is the study of past events usually in
chronological order covering all aspects of human society.2 This includes political,
cultural, religious, social, economic, military, scientific, medical, and technological
developments. Compared to history, historiography studies how all those aspects of
human society influence how history is written over time.3 To determine how history
is written over time it is important to take into consideration if it is a primary source,
who wrote it and what kind of factors influenced how it was written.4 With
historiography not only the past is observed but also the effects the past has on the
present. This can be applied to almost everything in daily life, take for example
spices. While history might emphasize the introduction of certain spices to European
cuisine focusing on when this happened, historiography on the other concentrates on
questions like "How did trade routes and cultural exchanges shape the adoption of
these spices?"
In my opinion, historiography is very important because it helps us understand the
past and tells us how history is told. Historiography is much more than just recounting
historical events; it has an ever-changing nature and is never objective.5
Historiography makes the way we see history evolve overtime based on new
evidence or the shift in societal perspectives. This is what makes historiography so
impactful for our society because it shows that history is not one story but many.6
Historiography encourages us to think critical about the past, historical narratives and
by doing so it gives a voice to marginalized people. Historiography makes us aware
of the limitations of historical knowledge and acknowledges that there is never one
1 Lynn, Fendler, "History, Archaeology, Genealogy,” Bloomsbury, 2010, 38.
2 Fendler, "History, Archaeology, Genealogy," 38.
3 "Historiography," In Cambridge Dictionary, Accessed 19 march 2024,
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/historiography.
4 "Historiography," In Merriam Webster, Accessed 19 March 2024,
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/historiography.
5 Fendler, "History, Archaeology, Genealogy," 41-42.
6 Fendler, "History, Archaeology, Genealogy," 41-42.
