The article \"What is Historiography \" by Carl Becker. Summarize Write in your

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The article "What is Historiography " by Carl Becker. Summarize Write in your own words, pages 20,21,22,23,24 what going on in the article.

WHAT IS HISTORIOGRAPHY? FoRTY years ago I was fascinated by the study of history- the mechanics of research, of that sort of research at all events (there are other kinds) which has been defined as "aking lttle bits out of a great many books which no one has ever read, and putting them to- gether in one book which no one ever wll read" Later I became less interested in the study of history than in history itself-that is to say, in the suggestive meanings which could be attributed to certain periods or great events, such as that "the spirit of Rome is an acid which, applied to the sentiment of nationality, dissolves it", or that "the Renaissance was the double disc Now that I am old the most intriguing aspect of history turns out to be neither the study of history nor history itself, in the above noted senses, but rather the study of the history of historical study. The name given to this aspect of history is the unlovely one, as Mr. Barnes says of Historiography.1 iscovery of man and the world What precisely is historiography? It may be, and until recently for the most part has been, little more than the notation of historical works since the time of the Greeks, with some indication of the purposes and points of view of the authors, the sources used by them, and the ac- curacy and readability of the works themselves. The chief object of tiography is to assess, in terms of modern standards, the value of historical works for us. At this level his- toriography gives us manuals of information about histories and his- torians, provides us, so to speak, with a neat balance sheet of the "contributions" which each historian has made to the sum total of verified historical knowledge now on hand. Such manuals have a high practical value. To the candidate for the Ph. D. they are indeed indispensable, since they provide him at second hand with the most up-to-date information. From them he learns what were the defects and limitations of his predecessors, even the most illustrious, without the trouble of reading their works-as, for example, that Macaulay although a brilliant writer, was blinded by Whig prejudice, or that Tacitus's estimate of Tiberius has been superseded by later researches, 1 A History of Historical Writing. By Harry Elmer Barnes. (Norman: University of such enterprises in Oklahoma Press. 1937. Pp. x, 434. $3.50.) 20

Explanation / Answer

The article talks about the study of history as well as the concept of history as a subject. The author says that the study of history as well as the concept of history as a subject has never intrigued or excited anyone, particularly him. The author, as he grew old, became more interested in Historiography i.e. the study of the history of the historical study. Historiography enables a person to assess the importance and determine the value of historical works of different historians. Not only this we are also able to determine their limitations and how their work is influenced by their prejudices.

The author goes on to say that historiography is more than an estimation of the contributions made by historians to the present knowledge. In fact it is a phase of intellectual history. The knowledge and beliefs of men have differed at different points in time and historiography ably highlights this difference. The difference could be attributed to the varied underlying presuppositions and biases and prejudices and these presuppositions give the difference in their knowledge validity.

The author gives the example of Mr. Barnes who was a great writer and historian of his times. As a historian Mr. Barnes assumes his purpose to characterize the intellectual background of each major period of human advancement, and point out the differentiating features and characteristics of historical writing in each era. But despite the fact that Mr. Barnes was a great writer his works were hindered by his prejudices, his irritations and his disgust. But keeping this aside he has upheld the basic principles of historiography well by apt characterization of intellectual background and focusing on the prominent traits of historical writing. He has beautifully concentrated on contributions of major historical writers and this is what historiography is all about.

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