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Global Contours History,  as the recounting of past events and deeds,  is probably old as humanity as itself.  But it was the Greeks Herodotus and Thucydides who introduced the organized and written historical narrative.  In Asia,  Chinese historians of the Han dynasty developed similar a tradition of writing organized and analytical history.  And it was only in the nineteenth century that history established itself as an academic discipline,  first in European universities and research centers and subsequently in other continents,  notably the United States.  This"professionalization"  of history is commonly associated with the German historian Leopold von Ranke.  The archives,  as the repository of state records,  emerged as the major basis of historical research.  The historical journal,  even more than the monograph or the book,  became the trademark of this new profession.  Predominantly narrative in form and political in content,  this new historiography has remained the paradigm of historical research and writing. To read the whole article click here |
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Bahru Zewde -Institute of Ethiopian Studies- |