what is historiography? historiography and its contributions the fields in which this indicates

1. NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF
MODERN LANGUAGES
NAME: Zainab Abid
PROGRAM: BS English 1st
SUBJECT: History (Assignment)
SUBMIITED TO: Sir Afzal Hayat

2. Historiography:
“A historiography is an analysis of the interpretations of a specific topic written by past and current
historians”.
• For example: "The historiography of the decision to use the atomic bomb on Hiroshima
changed over the years as new research questioned the former consensus view that the
decision to drop the atomic bomb was predicated on the necessity to save American lives."
Explanation:
In simple words historiography is the study of historical writing. It tells us how history is written
and how our ability to interpret history evolves over time. The method considers the strategies
used by historians and attempts to convey how and why their ideas and interpretations differ so
greatly.
A historiography will provide you with new research sources and perspectives to argue. Rather
than analyzing the topic, the primary goal of writing a historiographical paper is to express the
knowledge of other historians on a specific subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers
how historians have studied that topic using particular sources, techniques, and theoretical
approaches. It can be a paper that discuss the work of other historians or one in which you apply
your own research.
Importance of Historiography:
Historiography is significant for a variety of reasons. It explains why world events were understood
so differently throughout history. In other words, historiography allows us to investigate not only
past, but also the broader overarching features that determine the recording of history.
Historiography allows us to examine history with a critical eye. It enables us in recognizing what
biases may have impacted the historical event. It helps us to not blindly trust the words of past and
current historians.
Historiography allows us to search for and expose the truth behind the historical myths. It allows
us to reinterpret the biases of a historian's viewpoint in a more efficient manner. Of certainly, as
long as we remain objective during the procedure.
Contributors of Historiography:
The journey of historiography started with Herodotus also known as the “father of historiography”.
He was an ancient Greek historian who was born in the Persian Empire's Halicarnassus. He is well
known for his book "The Histories," which contains a detailed account of his investigation into the
roots of the Greco-Persian wars. He is largely regarded as the first writer to approach historical
issues through a systematic inquiry method. Specifically, by gathering and critically arranging his
resources into a historiographic narrative.

3. During the Middle Ages, historiography included the works of histories in medieval Europe,
Islamic histories by Muslim historians.
During the Renaissance in the 18th century, figures such as Voltaire who had a significant impact
on the development of historiography by demonstrating new methods to look at the past. Voltaire's
best-known histories are History of Charles XII (1731), The Age of Louis XIV (1751), and his
Essay on the Customs and the Spirit of the Nations (1756). Voltaire explains his view of
historiography in his article on "History" in Diderot's Encyclopédie. Other than Voltaire, David
Hume, and Edward Gibbon also influenced and refined historiography in the Western world.
With the development of academic history in the nineteenth century, a collection of historiography
literature emerged.
The breadth of historical evidence was significantly broadened in the twentieth century. Historians
began to shift their focus away from leaders and generals and more towards regular workers and
soldiers.
Historiography is a wide-ranging subject and includes Historiography of Islam, Historiography of
Art, Historiography of Culture, Historiography of Literature, Historiography of Civilization,
Historiography of Religion, Historiography of Mathematics, Historiography of Physics,
Historiography of Chemistry, Historiography of Education, Historiography of Biology,
Historiography of Atom, Historiography of Countries in fact historiography of any and every
social, physical and natural science we are interested in.
Finally, historiography tells us how elements that influence and alter the historical recording and
so modify our interpretation of it.