History can feel like the study of obscure, pointy-headed things that only happened in a long ago past. But the field of history encompasses so much more than that — it’s about understanding humanity and the journey to our present day. For many people, it’s a fascinating topic.
Historians examine the past in a variety of ways, including physical evidence, primary sources and artifacts. They also look at the societal and cultural context of the times to understand why an event or person was significant.
But no one can know everything about the past, and historians must decide what information is important and what should be omitted from a narrative of an event. This process is known as simplification.
It is also a process of making choices about what is significant, which can lead to disagreements between different historians. Historians make these decisions based on their own interests and values. For example, a historian who is interested in the economy of a particular time period may consider a famous battle to be more significant than another historian who is more interested in the lives of renowned individuals.
Despite these differences, most historians share certain core beliefs. They believe that a common understanding of history can help us to make better decisions in the present. They also believe that studying history teaches us to question the assumptions we hold and to consider new possibilities.
However, some historians have used their knowledge to advance a specific agenda in the present. For example, some have used the discipline to justify racial, sexual and political injustices of the past. This is an unfortunate misuse of a complex and valuable field.
To avoid this, we must remember that history is a subjective enterprise. All writers of history have a vantage point and something to prove. This means that every interpretation of the past is biased in some way, even if the bias is unintentional.
Historians can combat this by learning how to think critically about the past and by avoiding cliches such as “history repeats itself” and “those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it.” Denning says everyone benefits from the study of history, but that we must avoid using it to serve our own personal agendas. Similarly, we should not use history as a weapon in the culture wars that are so prevalent in our society.