Between the disciplinary past and the practical past: figurations of the historian in the crisis of the humanities (original) (raw)
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History and historian: yesterday and today
Journal of Comparative Studies - Daugavpils University (Latvia), 2019
The article investigates some notions of the origin of universal historiography and promotes a reflection on the concept of History in antiquity and today, especially in classrooms of juvenile education. For that, a basic, exploratory, subjective, and inductive bibliographical research was carried out within the scope of the written production of classical and contemporary authors, with a view to contributing to a critical re-reading of the historiographic bases, something that is necessary given a characteristic of the constant evolution of science, which demands more and more technicality and specialization - and this happens to the historical discipline too. The purpose of reflection is to foster a critical discussion that contributes to the teaching of History in the classroom, in the present day, since the world today seems less and less prone to the study of the humanities, for several reasons. The conclusion is that we cannot forget the past teachings, much less how humanity faced and overcome its problems and challenges, with confrontations and solutions that transformed the past into a present, and from here arises the mission of building the future, aware that we will not evolve if we are not very clear about the notion of the human condition at all times.
… interdisciplinariedad y la transdisciplinariedad en la …, 2007
The aim of this text is to discuss some aspects of the concept of discipline from the standpoint of LIS by showing how "epistemological mutations" in the discipline of history have changed its traditional epistemological starting points and thus the way knowledge in the domain of history is organized. Something that in its prolongation maybe appears as a new kind of disciplinarity (due to epistemological changes) in the field of humanities and social science, that at the same time is challenging the conception of traditional and historical given disciplines. A basic assumption is that bibliographical classification schedules, categories, and classes cannot be regarded apart from some kind of sociological, ideological or epistemological meta-understanding. Accordingly, when this meta-understanding change, also the principles for knowledge organization alter.
HISTORIANS IN SEARCH OF NEW WAYS AT THE BORDER OF THE CENTURIES
Codrul Cosminului, 2013
The paper analyses the radical transformations that took place in the theoretical foundations, methodology and conceptual models of historical science at the border of the XX – XXI centuries. The changes in research strategies of recent historiography are considered as an outcome of the fruitful interaction of different disciplines in the common space of social sciences and humanities. The author estimates the cognitive potential of new theoretical models aiming to restore the integrity of historical vision of the past.
History, the Historian and His Work: Issues, Challenges and Prospects
2020
The age-old intellectual and 'pedestrian' controversy over the meaning and societal significance of history is bound to persist for yet a long time. However, the strong reliance on historical information, particularly in the Third World countries in recent times underscores the acceptance of history as reality and an outcome of objective research. Yet, the writing of history is beset with a legion of problems. Significantly, these problems to a large extent are domiciled in the nature of history itself. This paper is a critical discourse of the major challenges the historian of today encounters in his task of reconstructing the past. The study examines the nature of history as it relates to the problems of historical research, and concludes that the continued relevance of history and historians can only be guaranteed if the latter consistently and diligently address these challenges through appropriate measures.
Crumpling the Significant Past: Actions and Impressions for the Fall of History
2017
Today, academic historians do not enjoy the same amount of privilege and fame which their predecessor generations enjoyed. The reason is that interest in academic history and in a general knowledge of the past has declined appreciably over the years. Several factors, originating from internal and external sources, have combined to give rise to this state of affairs. A careful observation shows that the same factors could be categorised into 'actions', developments which have actually taken place, and 'impressions', misguided views people hold about history. Using both secondary and primary data, and employing the qualitative approach, this study provides evidence to show that popularity of history as a subject of study in educational institutions and interest in history as a repository of our significant cultural past have waned drastically. It then proceeds to identify and arbitrarily categorises the factors into 'actions' and 'impressions' and evaluate their contributions to this situation. The study briefly analyses the consequences of the situation and concludes that in view of the enormous value of history for the survival of our societies, serious efforts should be made to resuscitate interest in history. Finally, the paper urges professional historians to be at the forefront of the 'revival campaign' since they are better placed to explain the nature and value of their discipline and profession to society.
History and Related Disciplines
The paper attempts to justify the complementary role of disciplines in the social-sciences, natural sciences, physical sciences as well as human and biological sciences to the studying, writing and teaching of history. It should however be noted that, despite the fact that history as a discipline benefits immensely from the knowledge and expertise of said disciplines it does not amount to challenging whether History can sustain it's autonomy as a valid and viable discipline.
History & Historians [syllabus]
2023
Course Description: This graduate seminar introduces major trends and critical issues in historiography and historical thinking, primarily focusing on developments that shaped the discipline during the twentieth century. Its principal aims are: (1) To survey important conceptual and methodological landmarks in the development of "History" as a kind of knowledge, discipline, rhetoric, and practice (2) To become familiar with critical theoretical approaches that have significantly impacted the writing of history and contributed to major historical "turns." (3) To point to often implicit and unexamined assumptions about historical research and presentation that precede our trips to the archives and hours of writing (4) To promote a sense of intellectual community among incoming graduate students in history with different areas of concentration. The seminar will put a special emphasis on scholarly debates regarding the above questions. Among other things, we will inquire into the history of certain basic historical concepts often thought not to have a history, including the past itself. We will trace how academic history came to be seen as a "science," rival conceptions that emerged in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries over what exactly this meant, and the challenge posed by postmodern theory to classifying historical knowledge as "objective." We will look at some of the different ways historians have tried to explain the purpose of their work while also probing the tension between academic and popular uses of history. We will explore debates over how broadly or narrowly historians should delimit their subjects (micro versus macro scales), as well as what weight they should ascribe to particulars or universals, persons or collectives, individual events or large-scale structures, dominant or subordinate groups, narrative or analytical presentation, hermeneutical or causal explanation, ideas or discourses or material factors in the understanding of historical experience and change. We will pay close attention to how historians conceptualize their questions, use evidence, and develop their interpretations, arguments, analyses, narratives, and explanations. Finally, we will examine how historians have assimilated (or not) insights and models from other disciplines, including philosophy, the natural sciences, social and economic theory, literary and critical theory, and anthropology.