Historiography
Historiography is commonly defined as a "history of history"; however more precisely it is the intellectual history of scholarship of a given topic, discipline, or theoretical framework. Though most associated with the field of history, historiography is also used in other humanities fields. It differs from a literature review in that historiography is not only concerned about relevant scholarship on a topic but also the changing ideas, interpretations, and approaches (theoretical, philosophical, and methodological) that scholars have taken towards a topic over time. As historian David Wrobel Links to an external site. puts it:
"Historiography is the study of the dynamic past, a past that is always messy, ever changing, never resolved, and always relevant to the present. The past is contested terrain and the historiographer is the explorer of that interpretive battlefield."
Types of historiographical essays:
- Historiographies embedded in articles and books. Unlike many of the STEM and social science publications there is usually no section within an article labeled "historiography," rather the historiographical portion of the publication is often interwoven in the introduction and in the footnotes.
- Example: Thomas, Lynn M. "The Modern Girl and Racial Respectability in 1930s South Africa
Links to an external site.." The Journal of African History 47, no. 3 (2006): 461-90. (see pages 462-464)
- Example: Thomas, Lynn M. "The Modern Girl and Racial Respectability in 1930s South Africa
Links to an external site.." The Journal of African History 47, no. 3 (2006): 461-90. (see pages 462-464)
- Standalone historiographies. In history and the humanities, historiography is so important a scholarly activity that they often appear as standalone articles and books. These works help keep readers updated on the state of the discipline or scholarship on a topic.
- Example: Jung, Moon‐Ho. "Beyond These Mythical Shores: Asian American History and the Study of Race Links to an external site.." History Compass 6, no. 2 (2008): 627-38.
- Example: Black, Jeremy. Clio's Battles: Historiography in Practice Links to an external site.. Bloomington, Indiana : Indiana University Press, 2015.
Optional Activity:
- Find a Recent Historiographical Essay or Book
- Read Professor Heather Cox Richardson's blogpost, "What is Historiography, Anyway? Links to an external site." (2009)
Content adapted from the Graduate Student Research Institute.