Make sure that you DO NOT write 'in this essay I will...'.
Make sure your essay is free of typos, sentence fragments, and simple sentences. These make your essay harder to read and calls your authority and trustworthiness into question. If you can’t be bothered to write clear sentences, maybe you didn’t do very good research, either.
Accessibility of these essays for the average college student learning about historiography is our main goal. When revising your own or someone else’s essay, rephrase any sentences that are too long or too hard to follow. That said, we don’t want overly simplistic writing, either. You don’t have to write the perfect sentence (although that’s always the goal), but when revising or editing, make sure you’re thinking about EVERY sentence and whether it could be a little clearer. Just leave it better than you found it. Sometimes stepping back and rewriting a sentence or two and paraphrasing is the fastest way to improve clarity. Contributing an essay to the collection is not only an exercise in historiography but also an exercise in public history. Reducing a complicated set of ideas (indeed, historiography can be an abstract subject that’s hard to grasp at first) to their essence and presenting them to a general audience is a widely applicable skill in any career. Your target audience is someone looking to learn about “the history of history”, but doesn’t necessarily know anything about historiography in the way we’ve discussed it. Make sure you keep your target audience in mind and indicate the significance of people, places, ideas, and institutions, etc, that you bring into your essay. Metahistory, as you all already know, is an introductory guide to historiography in the form of essays on various historiographical topics. Some essays talk about broad historiographical change over a long period of time, others focus on a particular idea or person that shaped the research and writing of history. Whatever the topic of the essay, and however broad or narrow the scope, you should make sure the historiographical significance of the topic is clear throughout the essay. Here’s an example of expanding an important point that is way too compressed into something longer but much clearer. Obviously you’re not going to do this sort of thing for every sentence, but if you can do it for the most important points, readers will get a lot more out of your essay and come away with a very different perspective and appreciation of history! Voltaire explains his view of historiography in his article on "History" in Diderot's : "One demands of modern historians more details, better ascertained facts, precise dates, more attention to customs, laws, mores, commerce, finance, agriculture, population." Already in 1739 he had written: "My chief object is not political or military history, it is the history of the arts, of commerce, of civilization—in a word—of the human mind." Voltaire's histories used the values of the Enlightenment to evaluate the past. He helped free historiography from antiquarianism, , religious intolerance and a concentration on great men, diplomacy, and warfare. says Voltaire wrote "very good history", citing his "scrupulous concern for truths", "careful sifting of evidence", "intelligent selection of what is important", "keen sense of drama", and "grasp of the fact that a whole civilization is a unit of study".[] That said, the introduction paragraph of a dissertation is often an extremely detailed historiographical essays. You probably wouldn't want to use it as a source, but it is a good way to find an overview of your topic.
Example Essays & Websites - Researching a Historiography
A Levels may be the first time you have to write about historiography in a history essay, it was for me! However, it is not as daunting as it may first seem and I would recommend you practice a few historiography paragraphs before an exam to get used to the style. Depending on your course, you may have to write a historiographical essay, or include a paragraph about the historiography of the subject. One of the things that is different about historiography from a normal history essay is that you may have to be more critical than you would normally. Address individual historians or interpretations, and then say whether you think they are effective. Are they a true reflection of the time? There usually isn't a right answer to this, as it's very subjective. This is the beauty of a historiographical essay or paragraph. You can be creative and give your own opinion on the topic, perhaps more than you could in an ordinary essay. As an example, I will describe how I talked about a colonial historian. There are many explanations for colonialism and imperialism, and therefore it makes a very interesting historiographical essay. This particular essay was on Egypt. J.A Hobson argues it was a small elite of greedy capitalist investors that pushed intervention in Egypt, and later the occupation of the Suez Canal in the 50s. While this is certainly a solid argument for colonialism in general, it may not be so applicable to Egypt. Hobson's argument may be flawed as figures show that economic investment was insignificant in Egypt compared the settlement colonies. Here, you can cite some facts and figures. You might also want to mention something about the historian's background if relevant. Hobson was a socialist, and here his interpretation is obviously coloured by his political alignment. This may be a flaw for some students who believe in the objectivity of the historian. Although, what historian doesn't have his own biases? Either way, it can be worthwhile to pluck out some biographical or contextual information about the historian if you feel it is relevant. Sometimes these extra bits of research can be what pushes your answer from a B to an A.
Can someone give me a good example of a historiography essay
arguably begins with the narrative sections of the New Testament, particularly , which is the for the , though its . The first tentative beginnings of a specifically Christian historiography can be seen in in the second century.The and its enhanced status in the Roman Empire after (see ) led to the development of a distinct Christian historiography, influenced by both and the nature of the , encompassing new areas of study and views of history. The central role of the Bible in Christianity is reflected in the preference of Christian historians for written sources, compared to the classical historians' preference for oral sources and is also reflected in the inclusion of politically unimportant people. Christian historians also focused on development of religion and society. This can be seen in the extensive inclusion of written sources in the of around 324 and in the subjects it covers. Christian theology considered time as linear, progressing according to divine plan. As God's plan encompassed everyone, Christian histories in this period had a universal approach. For example, Christian writers often included summaries of important historical events prior to the period covered by the work.
Examples of Historiographies - How to Create a Historiography
what lies between the lines. These techniques allow those who study history to construct well-rounded arguments. Through the study of History we can view past experiences through the lens of our contemporary, modern way of life. An example of the historiography in practice is the perception of our ancestors and the differences between them and us. Tosh speaks of the 'otherness of the past ' and challenges the popular idea that characters of the past were 'just like us '. In Chapter 2 Tosh talks of