COURSE
CODE 216
COURSE
TITLE: INTRODUCTION TO HISTORIOGRAPHY
DEFINITION
Historiography
is the art or science of
writing history MEANING OF
HISTORY?
1. Study of human past
2. Through record of human experiences
3. Study of mans actions in the past
4. Study of events that had happened or one still
happening
DEFINITION OF HISTORY
History is the study of the past activities of man. H.A Clement has stated it
briefly as an account or record of the past. Both historians and other scholars have attempted to define
history in various ways. But all the
attempts have pointed to the same that
history is the study of the man’s past.
The study of
history is increasing in scope and time. Today, history does not
concern itself with the study of man’s past activities only but also his present activities. The reason is
that, the past is in communication with the present and the present shades
light in the past - it marrows the past.
E.H Carr, in
his lectures defined history as “an
unending dialogue between the present
and the past”
Raphael, HOD, HIR EBSU Ai, according
to Mr Nze “ This in effect means
that there is a continuous and unbroken
process interaction between the
historians and their past.
History regards the present as a product of the past . marc block, sees history as an enquiry about the past of
man’s actions in time Prof. Bury, in the closing word of
his lectures in 1903, describe ‘history as a science no more
no less.
Prof F.G Colling Wood said that history is a kind of
research or enquiry about actions of human being that have done in the past.
According to him, in order or embark on his enquiry, and to arrive at his
historical truth the historian has to re-in-act or re-think the past in his
mind.
Prof. E.J Alagoa defines history as the study of man through the evidence of
his past actions. That is through relics
and achievements
Prof. A E Afigbo, regard history as “snap short of the
past usually taken from as many vantage point.
We
can conclude that identification of history varies as the individual vary. In other
words, history vary with the historian. But there are certain areas of common
interest to all historians
From the definitions given so far, we cannot run away
from the conclusion that history
deals with actions of human being in the past. It is the focus of
historical inquiry. But the historians is not only in the past as it was. He
seeks to establish how this past is related to the present and it can serve as
a guide to understanding the future.
DIVISION OF HISTORY
About 1851 as a
matter of fact, up to the 18th century, the division of
history was limited to ancient history,
medieval history and modern history.
However, in the mid of 19th century a forth division was added to human
past, and from then we had been thinking of history in its undest sense, that
is human history as now divided into
pre-history, ancient history, medieval history
and modern history
PRE- HISTORY
Pre – history is
the earliest part of history dating from 5,000 be up words. The first man to use the word pre-history was
Daniel Wilson in 1851. Pre-history means pre-written history that is history
that was not written down.
1. Oral traditional is an example of pre-history. Another
source of pre-history is through archeology i.e the artifact that the
archeologist excavated. For instance,
potsherd, human bones, irons etc.
PERIODAZATION IN HISTORY
a. pre-history- 5,000BC to earliest
b. Ancient History -
4,000BC to 476AD
c. Mediaval time-
476AD-1492AD
d. Modern History -
492AD to present date
e. Note below: the period about 400AD to one 1,000AD is
regarded in the history as the Dark Ages.
While the period of about 1,000 years between Ancient history and modern
history is known as the medieval period or time
RECKONING OF TIME IN HISTORY
Carbon 14 and potassium orgun detro chronology, and pronology etc but,
these things are not sufficient to make
history a science. The type of
scientific method advocated by Colling-
Wood is philosophical science which
Buklahdum recommended.
THE IMPORTANCE OF HISTORY
The first importance of history is at it acquainted
with knowledge of evolution of our society. It is necessary that people must
know how their society began and grow, the way its functions, its achievements,its
founders its friends and enemies, its partners and behaviour its religious
belief and cosmology etc.
Through history we also come to know how other
countries came to be what they are today.
Cicero once quote “said not to know what took place before you were
born it… will remain forever ...
History has answer to why certain events in the world happened the way they did. To
know how Nigeria become federation 1954,
one must go back to its
past. Why must English Language is our or the lingua Franica, Ghana, Sierrialone, Gambia, and France as in Ivory
Coast, Benin, Dohameny Bokinafoso, Mali etc.
What led to the development of aparty in South Africa.
Why America had led independence in 1776. What led to the new imperialism in
the earlier part of 19th century? What acieration of nationalist
movements in Africa between 1939-1946.
For answer to these questions, one must go back to history.
Professor cooling Wood, has noted that history embodies knowledge and that it
value lies in the fact that it teaches
us what man has done.
Through history we know and appreciate good deeds of
our ancestors. All these objectives are attend through a biographical approach
which involves the study of the life of
great men like Jaja of Opobo, Mohammed
Rimfa of Kano, Ajada Terrudo of Dahomy, Shaka
of Zulu of South Africa. Abdel Cada of Algeria and Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe of
Nigeria etc.
Further more, history
help to develop peoples creative, imaginative, and literary abilities. This is
so because history stirs up of our imagination and create in us awareness of
past events by telescoping them and making perceivable to the senses. It thus make us live share
experiences of the past actors in events in which we were not participants
History as a
human science and force the opportunity to increase our capacity for dealing
with question affecting human beings Heads
of government and bureaucratic organsitions, policy makers,
administrators, who have decisions involving
people need to have a knowledge of
history. Such as knowledge will help to know how the past successors succeeded
or failed in similar situations,
History equips
us with level headedness and G.M Brown regard such level headedness as an asset in life since it ask as a
check on ill considered action.
The truth is that people who have acquired the historical habit of
weighting and shifting the evidences. Such people are less likely it show an
unreasonable progenitor
Infact, lessons learnt from history can be guide to future action and decision making, a flash back on the French Revolution of 1789 and Russia Revolution of
1917 could serve as a guide to
how events would lead to positive
result. History equips us to have a deep insight into human character to know its like
and dislikes what would be likely being its action under certain condition, what he could and
could not tolerate. Such knowledge is a necessary ingredient such
knowledge brings tolerance which able to see the other persons point of views.
Another importance is that it helps to the development of talents or training of the
mind for the logical reason. There is no doubt, that the ability to sift or
deduce evidence and to identify the truth in no of conflicting statement called
for a certain intellectual skills. Such skillcome to the study of history
ORAL SOURCES OF HISTORY
Oral source or
oral data are testimonies handed down to us by word of mouth from one
generation to another over time. According to Janvansina “oral tradition are
all testimonies concerned past which are transmitted from one generation to
another”. Oral tradition or oral data
comes in many forms and serve variety of functions.
Professor E.J Alaoga has defined oral tradition as
historical information transmitted orally by processes peculiar to each
community, and which should be studied first in the content of its culture
before being made available for cross cultural analysis and compares on.
However, there are two forms of oral data
a. Oral history
b. Folklora
Oral
history tradition: It present accounts
of past events and activities rendered
by persons who were direct actors or participates or eye witness to the events . There is also
the oral history tradition which is
the same of account of past events
and activities, but revived by
persons who were not direct actors
or participants to the events.
Folklora: This is as a
form of oral tradition is the blanket
term for myth, legend, song, poem, drama, literature, riddles, ritual
formlae proverbs, belief and cosmology
Myth: The English
word derived from the Greek mythos meaning that branch of knowledge which is
indisputable not subject to rational argument. The content of myth is supposed
to be the about past events including concept and belief about the early history of a
particular group of people. Such
history is held to true and
unreliable.
Myth explains the origin of things and how things
happened and the way they be and set
down rules for human behaviour . Myth thus beliefs in the law of cause and effect, and the law of nature.
Myth have been also defined as the stories concerned the super natural of the activities of deities, spirits and ancestors semi –divine of heroes and origin of the world and mankind . Finally, myth determines its meaning
of the past and argued the present ought to be reflected its view of the past.
Legend: Legend have been described as story handed down from the past but which could be of doubtful
truth. As a result, legend have been
defined as the stories are partly true and partly false. However, this definition does not diminished
as the source of history legend usually speak of time since the beginning,
after original founder, had departed their earthly lives,
Legend deal
with real personages and not animals and also deal with real places.
Legend are not seriously regarded
as historical fact but are all
acceptable for historical construction
especially when cross channeled with other sources.
Ritual
formula :
Ritual utterances incantation and
formule can all subsumed under myth. They are all important to customs because
with them the historians can interpret the people beliefs and cosmology. For
example, the pouring of liberation land in some African counties is symbolic
and signifies the supernatural and importance in the human affairs. The peoples
cosmological and philosophical beliefs usually embedded in such ritual
utterances.
PROVERBS AND RIDDLES
Proverbs and riddles do not only depict the peoples norms
and philosophy but also exposes the depth their wisdom. Proverbs
are defined as a popular short saying with words of
advice or warning (for
instance look before you
reap while riddles are
described as pushing question or
statement intended to make person
implore his intelligent or wits
proverbs riddles and feables are
non formal types oral sources
Folk –tales many belong to the same type of the
beginning as the myth. In most cases, the same gods and heroes may appears but
the principal actor may be animals.
Folk
–tells may often offer explanation of peculiarity that can be found in animal
and human behavour. Folk –tell are
usually told by old people especially women to children around the fire place
or kitchen in the moonlight. Such tells
often contains moral /lessons
and express value to be drawn or
emulated folk tell are good for character formation and offers useful recreational period to children who might
have engaged in mischievous act folk –tell provide historian with an insight
into the peoples expectation of their present generation and quality of their code of
conduct
SONGS, POEM,
DRAMA AND MUSIC
These are varieties of utterances which constitutes
types of oral source outside the formal historical category. Thus, songs,
poem music and drama may be placed in general
category of literature. These forms could be used to give a vivid
description of their exploits heroes. They could be spoken through song, it
could be chanted even rendered through the talking of drum. The account be rendered in the form
of an epic which is poetic account of the deed of one or more
people of their great heroes of their nation past history eg . Homerville. Such a poem is regarded as praise poem. Songs
could be therefore, also epics of poetry
.
Songs
are generally used for recording special campaign and important individuals
achievement