Understanding Historical Research: Methods, Purposes, and Aims
Historical research involves investigating past events systematically to provide a dynamic explanation, interpretation, and understanding of the past. It aims to uncover unknown aspects, answer unexplored questions, and link past happenings to the present to enrich human culture and encourage interdisciplinary inquiry. The underlying premises of historical research emphasize the importance of accurate perception, structured reality, and reliable inference. By exploring descriptive versus analytic, applied versus fundamental, quantitative versus qualitative, and conceptual versus empirical research types, historical research contributes to capturing and preserving the complexities, nuances, and influences of the past on the present.
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RESEARCH TYPES 1. DESCRIPTIVE VS. ANALYTIC 2. APPLIED VS. FUNDAMENTAL 3. QUANTITATIVE VS. QUALITATIVE 4. CONCEPTUAL VS. EMPIRICAL
HISTORICAL RESEARCH: A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHOD HISTORICAL RESEARCH CAN BE DEFINED AS THE PROCESS OF INVESTIGATING PAST EVENTS SYSTEMATICALLY TO PROVIDE AN ACCOUNT OF HAPPENINGS IN THE PAST. IT IS NOT SIMPLY THE ACCUMULATION OF DATES AND FACTS OR EVEN JUST A DESCRIPTION OF PAST HAPPENINGS BUT IS A FLOWING AND DYNAMIC EXPLANATION OR DESCRIPTION OF PAST EVENTS WHICH INCLUDE AN INTERPRETATION OF THESE EVENTS IN AN EFFORT TO RECAPTURE IMPLICATIONS, PERSONALITIES AND IDEAS THAT HAVE INFLUENCED THESE EVENTS. IT ATTEMPTS TO METHODICALLY RECAPTURES THE COMPLEX NUANCES, PEOPLE, MEANINGS, EVENTS AND EVEN IDEAS OF THE PAST THAT HAVE IMPACTED AND SHAPED THE PRESENT.
PURPOSE OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH THE PURPOSE OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH IS TO VERIFY AND EXPLAIN HISTORY OF ANY AREA OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES, SUBJECTS OR EVENTS BY MEANS OF SCIENTIFIC PROCESSES.
UNDERLYING PREMISES IN ORDER TO JUSTIFY HISTORICAL DESCRIPTIONS AS TRUE IN A CORRESPONDENCE SENSE, THERE ARE FOUR ASSUMPTIONS THAT NEED TO BE CONSIDERED, (I) THE WORLD EXIST AND HAS EXISTED INDEPENDENT OF ANY BELIEFS ABOUT IT; (II) PERCEPTIONS GIVE AN ACCURATE IMPRESSION OF REALITY UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS; (III) REALITY IS STRUCTURED ACCORDING TO MOST OF THE CONCEPTS BY WHICH IT IS DESCRIBED; (IV) PEOPLE S RULE OF INFERENCE ARE RELIABLE MEANS OF ARRIVING AT NEW TRUTHS ABOUT REALITY
AIMS OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH (I) TO REVEAL OR UNCOVER THE UNKNOWN (II) TO ANSWER QUESTIONS WHICH HAVE YET BEEN ANSWERED (III) TO SEARCH AND IDENTITY THE RELATIONSHIP OF PAST HAPPENINGS AND THEIR LINKS WITH THE PRESENT (IV) TO RECORD AND ASSESS PAST ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF INDIVIDUALS, AGENCIES AND INSTITUTIONS (V) TO ASSIST IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN CULTURE (VI) THE MOST TIME- HONOURED JUSTIFICATION FOR DOING HISTORICAL RESEARCH IS THAT PEOPLE CAN LEARN FROM THE PAST. (VII) IT ALSO ENCOURAGES INTERDISCIPLINARY INQUIRY AND UNDERSTANDING. ON TOP OF THAT, IT IS INTELLECTUALLY ENRICHING AND CHALLENGING AS HISTORICAL RESEARCH OFTEN ASK THE THOUGHT-PROVOKING QUESTION OF WHY . (VIII) HISTORICAL RESEARCH IS FUN BECAUSE THERE ARE NO OTHER DISCIPLINES THAT ALLOW ONE TO POKE THEIR NOSES INTO THE CONCERNS OF OTHERS AND THEN LABEL IT AS SERIOUS ACADEMIC WORK
STAGES OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH (I) THE IDENTIFICATION OF A RESEARCHABLE PHENOMENON THAT INVOLVES READING RELEVANT LITERATURE, LISTENING TO CURRENT VIEWS ABOUT THE PHENOMENON AND REFLECTING ON THE RESEARCHER S INTEREST BEFORE CHOOSING A SPECIFIC TIME PERIOD, PERSON, PHENOMENA OR ERA RELATED TO THE FOCUS OF THE STUDY. (II) THE DEVELOPMENT OF HYPOTHESES OR RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND THE IDENTIFICATION OF A THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE THAT WILL GUIDE THE PROCESS OF DATA COLLECTION AND RESULTS INTERPRETATION BESIDES HELPING RESEARCHER FOCUS AND INTERPRET HISTORICAL OCCURRENCES AS RECORDED. CONTD.
(III) THE DATA EXPLORATION AND COLLECTION STAGE WHERE IT CAN BE THE MOST TIME-CONSUMING AND LABOUR- INTENSIVE PART AS THE RESEARCH PROCESS IS DEPENDENT ON THE SUBJECT OF STUDY AND THE ACCESSIBILITY OF DATA SOURCES (IV) THE CHECKING OF FACTS, EVALUATION OF THE VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF DATA, AND THE ANALYSIS OF EVIDENCE GATHERED FROM EACH SOURCE WHERE THE RESEARCHER EVALUATE THE DATA AND FORMS GENERALIZATIONS TO ACCEPTS OR REJECTS HYPOTHESES OR TO ANSWER RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND FORMS CONCLUSIONS; AND (V) THE WRITING OF THE REPORT IN WHICH FINDINGS ARE DESCRIBED ALONG WITH INTERPRETATIONS AND PROVIDES DETAILED SUPPORTIVE EVIDENCE IN DEFENCE OF THE CONCLUSIONS MADE.
SOURCES OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH PRIMARY SOURCES ARE FIRST-PERSON ACCOUNTS THAT INVOLVE THE ORAL OR WRITTEN TESTIMONY OF EYEWITNESSES AND THESE MAY INCLUDE DOCUMENTS, LETTER, OBSERVATIONAL NOTES, PHOTOGRAPHS, RECORDINGS, DIARIES, JOURNALS, LIFE HISTORIES, DRAWINGS, MEMENTOS AND OTHER RELICS. PRIMARY SOURCES ARE USUALLY ORIGINAL ARTEFACTS, DOCUMENTS AND ITEMS RELATED TO THE DIRECT OUTCOMES OF AN EVENT OR AN EXPERIENCE. IN GENERAL, PRIMARY SOURCES ARE CREATED AT OR VERY NEAR THE TIME OF THE HISTORICAL EVENT THAT IS BEING DESCRIBED. CONTD.
SECONDARY SOURCES SECONDARY SOURCES ARE ACCOUNT DESCRIPTIONS OF PERSONS WHO ARE NOT EYEWITNESSES OF THE EVENT OR WHO DID NOT PERSONALLY KNOW THE PERSON BEING STUDIED . THEY ARE FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT IMMEDIATELY PRESENT AT THE TIME OF THE EVENT AND THESE ARE REFERRED TO AS SECOND-HAND OR HEARSAY ACCOUNTS OF SOMEONE, SOME HAPPENINGS OR SOME DEVELOPMENT SECONDARY SOURCES CAN BE IN FORM OF BIOGRAPHIES, SCHOLARLY ARTICLES, POPULAR BOOKS, REFERENCE BOOKS, TEXTBOOKS, COURT RECORDS, LAB INFORMATION, ENCYCLOPEDIAS, NEWSPAPER ARTICLES AND EVEN OBITUARY NOTICES
APPROACHES TO HISTORICAL RESEARCH THERE ARE GENERALLY FOUR APPROACHES TO HISTORICAL RESEARCH AND THESE ALL UTILIZE PRIMARY SOURCES AS THEIR CHIEF DATABASE. (I) QUALITATIVE APPROACH ALSO KNOWN AS HISTORY BY QUOTATION, WHERE THE SEARCH FOR A STORY CONSTRUED FROM A RANGE OF PRINTED OR WRITTEN EVIDENCE AND THE RESULTANT HISTORY IS ARRANGED CHRONOLOGICALLY AND PRESENTED AS A FACTUAL TALE AND THE SOURCES RANGE FROM MANUSCRIPTS (SUCH AS ACCOUNT BOOKS, SCHOOL RECORDS, MARGINALIA, LETTERS, DIARIES AND MEMOIRS) TO IMPRINTS (SUCH AS TEXTBOOKS, JOURNALS, AND OTHER BOOKS OF THE PERIOD UNDER CONSIDERATION) CONTD.
(II) QUANTITATIVE APPROACH WHERE RESEARCHERS INTENTIONALLY LOOK FOR EVIDENCE THAT LENDS ITSELF TO BE QUANTIFIABLE AND IS THUS PRESUMED TO HAVE SUPERIOR VALIDITY AND GENERALIZABILITY WITH THE ASSUMPTION THAT BROADER QUESTIONS CAN THEN BE ADDRESSED MORE AUTHORITATIVELY. CONTD.
(III) CONTENT ANALYSIS WHERE THE TEXT ITSELF IS THE OBJECT OF SCRUTINY THAT USES PUBLISHED WORKS AS ITS DATA AND SUBJECTS THEM TO CAREFUL ANALYSES THAT ORDINARILY INCLUDE BOTH THE QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE ASPECTS. CONTD.
(IV) ORAL HISTORY WHICH FOCUSES ON LIVING MEMORY WHERE RESEARCHERS GATHER PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF EVENTS FROM LIVING INDIVIDUALS VIA AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDING THAT GIVES RESPONDENTS A NATURAL AND EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENT TO PROVIDE A RECIPROCAL INTERCHANGE BETWEEN THEM AND THE RESEARCHERS.
VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH : EXTERNAL VS. INTERNAL CRITICISM THE VALIDITY OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH CAN BE ESTABLISHED THROUGH EXTERNAL CRITICISM WHILE ITS RELIABILITY IS DETERMINED VIA INTERNAL CRITICISM. EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL CRITICISMS ARE ESSENTIAL TO ASCERTAIN THE QUALITY OF THE DATA THAT WILL IN TURN AFFECT THE QUALITY OF THE DEPTH OF INTERPRETATIONS AND ANALYSES SINCE THE RIGOROUS EXAMINATIONS OF THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL VALUE OF THE DATA WILL ENSURE VALID AND RELIABLE INFORMATION AS WELL AS VIABLE HISTORICAL ANALYSES .
EXTERNAL CRITICISM THE PRIMARY CONCERN OF EXTERNAL CRITICISM IS THE GENUINENESS OF RESOURCE MATERIALS. IT IS EXTREMELY CRUCIAL FOR RESEARCHERS TO EVALUATE THEIR SOURCES WITH GREAT CARE, OR EVEN GET VERIFICATION FROM EXPERTS, TO ENSURE THAT SOURCES ARE AUTHENTIC TO AVOID FRAUDS, HOAXES AND FORGERIES AS THESE ARE NOT UNCOMMON AND CAN PROVE TO BE PROBLEMATIC.
INTERNAL CRITICISM ON THE OTHER HAND, FOR RESEARCHERS TO DETERMINE THE RELIABILITY OF A SOURCE USING INTERNAL CRITICISM, THE TRUSTWORTHINESS OF THE SOURCE IS QUESTIONED, SUCH AS THE AUTHOR S PERCEPTIONS AND BIASES OF THE PHENOMENA, AND WHETHER THE AUTHOR IS REPORTING FROM INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE OR FROM OTHER S DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENT. IT IS CAUTIONED THAT RESEARCHERS TO BE VIGILANT IN INCLUDING BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE CRITICISM OF ALL DATA SOURCES WHICH INCLUDES MISSING ACCOUNTS, LACK OF RELEVANT VIEWPOINTS AND THE PERSONS INVOLVED IN THE EVENT.
source criticism vs. six inquiries 1. WHEN WAS THE SOURCE, WRITTEN OR UNWRITTEN, PRODUCED (DATE)? 2. WHERE WAS IT PRODUCED (LOCALIZATION)? 3. BY WHOM WAS IT PRODUCED (AUTHORSHIP)? 4. FROM WHAT PRE-EXISTING MATERIAL WAS IT PRODUCED (ANALYSIS)? 5. IN WHAT ORIGINAL FORM WAS IT PRODUCED (INTEGRITY)? 6. WHAT IS THE EVIDENTIAL VALUE OF ITS CONTENTS (CREDIBILITY)? THE FIRST FOUR ARE KNOWN AS HIGHER CRITICISM THE FIFTH , LOWER CRITICISM ; AND, TOGETHER, EXTERNAL CRITICISM. THE SIXTH AND FINAL INQUIRY ABOUT A SOURCE IS CALLED INTERNAL CRITICISM. TOGETHER, THIS INQUIRY IS KNOWN AS SOURCE CRITICISM.
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES STRENGTHS: ONE OF THE STRENGTHS OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH IS THAT IT PROVIDES PEOPLE WITH POSSIBLE INSTEAD OF PROBABLE UNDERSTANDINGS AND THE ABILITY TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS RATHER THAN CONTROL POSSIBLE FUTURE BECAUSE DIRECT APPLICATIONS OF THE PAST TO THE PRESENT CAN DISTORT EVENTS AND LEAD TO ERRONEOUS CONCLUSIONS. THE UNOBTRUSIVE NATURE OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH CAN ALSO BE VIEWED AS AN ADVANTAGE SINCE THE RESEARCH ENTERPRISE ITSELF CANNOT AFFECT ITS SUBJECT MATTER. CONTD.
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES THE MAIN LIMITATION OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH IS THAT THE PAST CAN ONLY BE REVEALED IN AS MUCH AS THE MANNER IN WHICH IT IS STILL PRESENT TODAY, CAUSING IMPORTANT PROBLEMS OF VALIDITY . THIS IS BECAUSE RESEARCHERS PRIMARY INTERESTS IN THE TESTING OF THEIR THEORIES, RATHER THAN IN THE ANALYSIS OF CRUCIAL SOCIAL EVENTS, WILL LEAD THEM TO FAVOUR OTHER METHODOLOGIES WHEREBY DATA CAN BE GENERATED. BESIDES THAT, PRIMARY SOURCES ARE MORE DIFFICULT TO IDENTIFY AS THE MATERIAL TITLE MAY NOT CORRESPOND WITH ITS CONTENT AND MAY BE UNAVAILABLE SINCE IT MAY BE IMPOSSIBLE TO LOCALIZE THE SOURCES OR THEY MAY NOT HAVE BEEN REGISTERED AND STATED IN THE INVENTORY LIST YET. OFTEN, IT IS ALSO IMPOSSIBLE TO TRIANGULATE CONTEMPORARY WITNESSES ARE NO LONGER LIVING AND THERE ARE NO OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATIONTO THE GIVEN ISSUE. FINDINGS BECAUSE THE
