Writing a historiographical review example
Rather than subjecting actual events - say, the Rape of Nanking - to historical analysis, the subject of historiography is the history of the history of the event: the way it has been written, the sometimes conflicting objectives pursued by those writing on it over time, and the way in which such factors shape our understanding of the actual event at stake, and of the nature of history itself.
Given a dozen historiographical essays, one might find as many approaches. A bibliographical essay, often found in monographs, examines a large number of works linked to a topic that often are loosely tied to each other.
Writing a historiographical review example
Examining the book reviews of journals is another way to find sources, but it takes time to write and publish a review. Of course, they are parsing numbers here. Onishi, Norimitsu. In such an essay, you would usually discuss each book in turn, normally in chronological order. While researching and reading, devise a common set of questions to assess how historians proceeded with their work. For more modern subjects, articles will be more available, but books will still cover more ground than most periodical articles. An annotated bibliography might come in handy as you attempt to locate such sources; you should also consult the footnotes and bibliographies of any text you read on a certain event, as they will lead you to other texts on the same event; if your research is web-based, follow links - always bearing in mind the pitfalls of the Internet - and if you are researching in the library, check out the books on nearby shelves: you'll be surprised by how often this yields sources you may otherwise never have found. In The Nanjing Massacre in History and Historiography, an anthology generally sympathetic to Chang's project if not to her methodology , George Washington University history and international affairs professor Daqing Yang, himself a native of Nanking, notes that "such a comparison [as Chang's] is methodologically sterile" and "morally misguided" YangTry to choose a topic that interests you- it will make the reading and writing easier. In final conclusion you might articulate in brief the insights you have gained into the event or issue at stake, the sources you have used, and the nature of history itself.
We might also be skeptical of Entenmann's generous appraisal of Japanese textbooks: on its role in World War II, Japan's high school textbooks in particular are subject to constant revision, much of it aimed at mitigating the government's role in wartime atrocities, as a New York Times article reminds us Onishi There are two easy ways to find them: History Compass is an online journal that publishes historiographic essays.
In The Nanjing Massacre in History and Historiography, an anthology generally sympathetic to Chang's project if not to her methodologyGeorge Washington University history and international affairs professor Daqing Yang, himself a native of Nanking, notes that "such a comparison [as Chang's] is methodologically sterile" and "morally misguided" Yang Still a little unsure of what a historiography is?
Fourth, students become acquainted with how historians use evidence and archives as well as how they develop innovative theses. The enduring controversy surrounding the event, however, and the specific criticism against Chang from even those who support her premise, point both to the endlessly debatable nature of history, and to the need for a more rigorous, analytical approach in its telling.
Historiography Basics What is Historiography? Alternatively, you may brainstorm a topic from scratch.
Look to see if the article is frequently cited by other authors writing about a similar subject.