Basic Methodology and the Range of Sources Available to Historians

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Main Body
Conclusion
Reference List

Introduction

Speaking about the methodology and range of sources available in the study of history, it should be mentioned that history is a living and breathing thing that is constantly developing. Historians are always in the process of rethinking and reviewing the events of the past, discovering new meanings of the events and new details of the studied material (Brundage, 2002, p.16). That is why every remnant of the past can stand the historians in good stead. These “remnants of the past” are called primary sources. So, something that was created during the time under study or is directly connected with the studied period and can make a contribution to the process of studying may be called a primary source. According to S. H. Veccia (2004),

Primary sources are manuscripts, first person diaries, oral histories, letters, interviews, photographs, maps, films, sound recordings, music, song sheets – fragments of history, incomplete in themselves, but when assembled, analyzed, and researched, they can provide personal insights, human drama and deep historical understanding (p.3).

Consequently, when the question is about secondary sources, they mean a source that interprets and analyzes the primary source. It can be said that these sources are removed from the actual event, but at the same time they may contain some abstracts from the primary sources, like photos, pictures, quotations etc. If we say that primary sources may be regarded to as “raw material”, then it can be said that secondary sources convert the raw material into history.

Main Body

The notions of primary and secondary sources

The following examples of secondary sources may be set: textbooks, commentaries, critique, encyclopedias. Usually, the material of a textbook covers a certain historical period, but there are also basic textbooks covering just major events without their detailed analysis. This is also the way with encyclopedias, the main purpose of which is to give the reader brief information on the point.

The range of primary and secondary sources

Speaking about the range of primary sources, it should be stated that they may be divided in two vast types: written records and material objects. Though “written records tend to predominate as source materials in most fields of history, in others (particularly ancient and medieval) there is often heavy reliance on artifacts” (Brundage, 2002, p.16). However, such materials may be also of great importance for those who study modern history. Sometimes such things as weapons, statues, cathedrals, coins, housewares may give the researchers far more information than newspapers or diaries.

Anthony Brundage (2002) divides written primary sources into two categories: manuscript sources and published sources (p.16). The examples of manuscript materials may be the following: letters, diaries that are mostly intended for private communication. In the majority of cases they are published after the author’s death thus becoming manuscript published materials.

The choice of the sources

The most important question that should always be asked by a historian when he is going to use this or that source is if it is reliable or not. There is always a great deal of excitement, when one faces a genuine primary source, but one should keep in mind that primary sources may be fragmentary or, on the contrary, copious, that is why a historian always needs background information on the question under study and he showed be informed about the sphere he deals with in order to understand the primary source correctly. For this purpose, a historian may use some secondary sources related to the question under study to form necessary background knowledge, and, maybe it will be useful to study the sources that present opposing points of view in order to find the proofs of some point of view with the help of the primary source or to formulate independent opinion.

Speaking about primary sources, one more thing should be tackled. A historian should remember that primary sources were created not for their purposes directly; people who created them wanted the sources to serve for their aims. That is why a historian should analyze the sources on the basis of some background knowledge about the time and generation under study. When it comes to the choice of secondary sources, the historian may choose several sources, trying to pick out the most authoritative and reliable ones.

The use of sources in the educational process

It should be mentioned, that in the educational establishments the major sources that are commonly used are, certainly, secondary sources, for instance, textbooks. They give general information concerning the question under study, but if professors want their students to give original contributions into the study of history, they should involve primary sources. They are sure to raise students’ motivation and develop skills of critical thinking. For instance, when studying the topic “World War II”, students may study genuine documents, letters, maps or diaries of soldiers. Still, educational process should not be overcrowded with mere primary sources, because in that case, students will fail to form the system, their knowledge will be full of gaps and blanks and they will not become efficient specialists.

Conclusion

Finally, it may be stated that in the educational process primary and secondary sources should be carefully chosen and applied in complex. In this case they will help to train a qualified and efficient specialist with high motivation and critical thinking skills.

Reference List

Brundage, A. (2002). Going to the Sources: A Guide to Historical Research and Writing (3rd ed.). Wheeling, IL: Harlan Davidson.

Veneccia, S.H. (2004) Uncovering Our History: Teaching with Primary Sources. USA: ALA Edition.

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