General Information about Historiography
"Historiography is concerned with historical interpretations and representations of the past—put another way, the writing of history as opposed to history itself" and "involves consideration of the broader cultural, social, economic, and political forces that shape historical writers and their writing" (The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods).
General Considerations
- Who are the major historians for your topic?
- How can these historians be organized into schools of approach or methodology?
- How has the historiography of your topic evolved over time?
- How did the various historians explore the topic through a political, social, or economic lens?
Historiography, What is it? Emily Blanck, Rowan University
Articles
Example searches:
- historiography AND United States
- historians AND "Civil Rights Movement"
- “historiographical-evolution” AND "Reaganomics"
- Other terms: "historical schools", interpretations, "historical writing", "historical account"
- Additionally, conduct searches on the topic (e.g., "Vietnam War").
- Note the works cited in the bibliography.
- Explore scholarly book reviews during different time periods for books on the topic. Writers today may critique historians of the past.
Selected Journals