Historical Knowledge and Interpretation PDF

GROUP 3 Chapter 1 Proof and the problem of objectivity HISTORY CRITICISM The following questions are sought after the discussion: Is histrory an art or science? Is history a reliable source of historical evidence? How historians manipulate history in order to...

GROUP 3 Chapter 1 Proof and the problem of objectivity HISTORY CRITICISM The following questions are sought after the discussion: Is histrory an art or science? Is history a reliable source of historical evidence? How historians manipulate history in order to obtain evidence? What causes historical events to initiate its course?  HISTORY: Rey-al or Fa-ke?  What we'll discuss Section 1: History: A Science or an Art? Section 2: History and the Status of Historical Knowledge Section 3: Choosing Evidences, Challenging Interpretations Section 4: Causes in History  Section 1 History: A Science or an Art? What is History? Why study History? History does not have a precise definition since it is complex and broad. History isn’t just learning about past events; it is also vital to understand how those events shaped and influenced our present and the future. According to E.H. Carr (1961), “History is a continous process of interaction between the historican and his facts, an unending dialogue between the present and the past.” In this section, there are two main perspective on how history can be viewed. History as Science with objective fact finding or History as an Art since it involves interpretation.  According to a German- British historian named Geoffrey Elton, History should be objective and revolve around fact-based information.  Historians should gather the evidence, approach this evidence with critical analysis, and aim to uncover the truth about past events without letting historians’ personal biases interfere. He opposed emotional engagement, and advocated rational inquiry instead On the other hand, a British historian and diplomat named Edward Hallet Carr commonly known as E.H Carr argued that History is subjective as historians’ own perspectives and biases shaped ther interpretations of the evidence.  According to E.H Carr, understanding history involves recognizing these biases and how they influence our view of these past events in history. What is the role of historical imagination? Historians go beyond the evidence and sources they gather and often use imagination to connect with people from the past and fill the gaps in the said evidence and sources. This approach in involving feelings of empathy with historical figures helps in understanding their actions within their own concept.  Historians' views on the past are influenced by their own times and experiences. For example, the way people perceive certain landscapes or historical figures can change based on cultural and social values of their own era. Historical assumptions influenced our understanding of landscapes by shaping our perceptions of beauty and significance in landscapes.  In this paper, mountains were initially seen as obstacles and later as glorious monuments to nature.  Section 2: History and the Status of Historical Knowledge  The indian mutiny Also known as the India's First War of Independence, The Rebellion began on May 10, 1857 when sepoys from the East India Company's army erupted in revolt in Meerut.  An Indian soldier serving under British or other Sepoys European orders. Reason of the Sepoys Poor terms of service and pensions, bad pay, lack of promotion, and increased cultural and racial insensitivity from British officers. It also said that mutiny seemingly start in replacement of mini rifle to Pattern Enfield rifle-musket. Rifle- musket  A memorial in Delhi 225 m (738ft) Built in 1863 - It takes the form of an octagonal shaped tower and ornamental facade in Ajitgarh the gothic style. The Mutiny Memorial, now known as Ajitgarh is a memorial situated on the Ridge New Delhi. It was built in memory all those who had fought in the Delhi Field Force. Ajitgarh means place of vanquished.  In 1972 a new plague war added correcting any impression given on the original memorial that the “enemy” were anything else but, as it is inscribed, “freedom fighters and martyrs of India” And so this was how the history of the Mutiny was first built and then reconstructed. The cruelty of the British as they took revenge on the hacking to death of 260 women and children in the massacre of Kanpur in July 1857.  Percival Spear’s A History of India, first publication year 1965 contains the following passage. In summer of 1858 Northern India lay inert and lacerated. The wisdom of canning and Sir John Lawrence. The rebels leaders were killed. Rani of Jhansi, disappeared, Nana, Bakht Khan of Delhi, executed: Tantia Topi. The emperor Bahadur Shah had been promised his life. He was exiled to Rangoon where he died year 1862 at the age of 87. The Mughal family lost its royal status. The East India Company ended its long career as the ruling power in India. The new age was ushered in and its intended spirit defined in the Queen’s proclamation year November 1, 1858.  Geoffrey Elton- Historian That the past is there and all we have to do is record it in a logical and coherent way is one which formed the cornerstone of the discipline of history when it emerged in the nineteenth century.  Lived by his famous maxim that the job of the historian was to show the past as it German historian really happen. Leopold von Ranke (1795-1886) According to Elton “The reality yes, the truth of the past exists in material of various kinds, produced by the past at the time that it occured and left behind by its testimony. Elton  Elton recognizes that history is not the study of the past, (we have no time machine to allow us to travel back in time), but the study of what remains of the past in the present.  Section 3: Choosing Evidences, Challenging Interpretation How do Historians approach history? How do they highlight evidence and interpret that evidence?  Radicalism in Britain (influenced by the following: American Revolution- promoted ideas of republicanism, liberty, and rights of people to self-government. French Revolution- established a republic and radically restructured French society. Pamphleteering of Activism- spread revolutionary ideas and critiques through pamphlets. Peterloo (1819) After the Napoleonic wars, Britain faced severe economic difficulties which exacerbated the economic suffering of the working class. This led to an increase in public meetings and protests. The government retaliated and sent the cavalry, leading to the Peterloo massacre.  Chartism is a social movement in the mid-19th century in Great Britain, aiming to gain political rights and influence for the working classes.  6 points of Political reform 1.Universal male 4. Abolition of the property qualification for members suffrage of parliament 2. Annual 5. Payment of parliaments MPs 3. Vote by secret 6. Equal electoral ballot constituencies Physical force Chartists- use of violence (Example: Newport rising) Moral force Chartists- uses peaceful strategies (Example: petitions and mass gathering)  Chartism 1838, September 25- 30,000 people from the working class participated in the rally in Kersal Moor 1848- after the two petitions signed by millions of signatures were rejected, the third and final petition was also dismissed. 1858- all Chartist activities were ended.  Was it economic, social or political in nature? Was it a national or a regional movement? Was it well or badly led? Was it revolutionary? Did it succeed or fail?  Chartism as a Failure All petitions were repeatedly rejected. The movement failed to achieve its 6 key demands during its time. There was no coordination between the physical force and moral force.  Chartism as a Success Chartism was successful in fostering political consciousness. It laid the groundwork for future reforms. It challenged the old corruption of the land and upholds radicalism.  Nature of the movement Social- desire to improve the living conditions of ordinary people. Economic- address economic struggles and injustice. Political- political rights and representation for the working class; challenges to the political system.  Section 4: Causes in History  Raises important questions about the ability of historians to truly explain what happened in the past. Positivism and its Limitations It criticizes the positivist approach that dominated historical inquiry in the 19th century. Positivism, with its emphasis on gathering and verifying facts, aimed to create a scientific method for history. Evolution and Historical Thought The passage highlights how new intellectual currents, particularly sociology and Darwinian evolution, challenged the positivist approach. Auguste Comte’s sociology suggested that history could be studied as a science by examining causal connections between events. Darwin ideas on evolution introduced the concept of progress and change over time, influencing historical narratives.  Narrative and Causality The passage discusses the role of narrative in historical writing, particularly in how it can be used to explore causality. Leopold von Ranke Auguste Comte “History is only the presentation of the facts and emphasizes objectivity.” Sociologists were a super-historian because they elevated history to the level same with science, and historians to scientists instead of a collectors and recorders of evidence. How does a positivism approach influence the writing of history?  Positivism in history was an answer to romantic poetry which made historical writings more fanciful, whereas positivism regarded the facts and events of the past in evolutionary order.  Positivism in history was an answer to romantic poetry It stands for true, unquestionable knowledge. It asserted that it turned history into a science. Following the seventeenth-century scientific revolution, efforts to scientific historical knowledge began.  With the scientific revolution linked with Niebuhr and Ranke, historical thinking began on a 'scientific' and 'positive' path (Mohammed, 2018). According to the work of Mohammed in 2018, Ranke’s positivist approach stated that history is based on scientific information not judgment over the facts.  It means that history is viewed externally and passes on without judgment, while in Comte’s positivist approach identifies the connection between facts and events. And by tracing the relationship between facts and events, the Comtean positivist approach proved itself as a valuable correction to Ranke’s positivist approach.  Summary According to Geoffrey Elton, history is an exercise in empirical or fact-based truth. On the other hand, Carr states that history is an partake of historians which they are unable to separate interpretations from conclusions drawn solely from evidences. Historians are social and cultural animals. Story-telling is one of the methods to obtain historical evidences.  Conclusion History is an broken fragments of events in which we might pick the best ones or the worst ones we might see.  References What is history? book review: E. H. Carr, a critical appraisal. (2004b, October 1). https://archives.history.ac.uk/history-in- focus/Whatishistory/munslow4.html#:~:text=Thus%2C%2 0both%20the%20realist%20philosopher,the%20present%2 0and%20the%20past. Claus, P. (n.d.-b). History: Introduction to Theory, Method and Practice. Taylor & Francis Group, 07/2019. https://routledgetextbooks.com/textbooks/9781138923997/ chapter-resources.php Lemisko, L. S. (n.d.-b). The Historical Imagination: Collingwood in the Classroom. In CANADIAN SOCIAL STUDIES. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1073911.pdf Mohammed, R. (2018). POSITIVISM IN HISTORY INTERNAL WORK. www.academia.edu. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/35661300/POSITIVISM_IN_HISTORY_INTERN AL_WORK?auto=download Thank You for listening!