History

“Study the past if you would define the future.” Confucius

History (Greek: ?στορ?α, Latin: historia, meaning 'inquiry; knowledge acquired by investigation') is the study of the past. Events occurring before the invention of writing systems are considered prehistory.

"History" is an umbrella term that relates to past events as well as the memory, discovery, collection, organization, presentation, and interpretation of information about these events. Scholars who focus on history are called historians.

The historian's role is to place the past in context, using sources from moments and events, and filling in the gaps to the best of their ability.

“History is a set of lies agreed upon.”  Napoleon Bonaparte

Whereby, historiography has a number of related meanings. It can refer to how history has been produced, it can refer to what has been produced, and it may refer to why history is produced as the Philosophy of history. As a meta-level analysis of descriptions of the past, this third conception can relate to the first two in that the analysis usually focusing on the narratives, interpretations, world view, use of evidence, or the method of presentation of other historians.

Whereas, historicity is the historical actuality of persons and events, meaning the quality of being part of history as opposed to being a historical myth, legend, or fiction. The historicity of a claim about the past is its factual status. Historicity denotes historical actuality, authenticity, f actuality and focuses on the true value of knowledge claims about the past.

Some theoreticians characterize historicity as a dimension of all natural phenomena that take place in space and time. Other scholars characterize it as an attribute reserved to certain human phenomena, in agreement with the practice of historiography.

“History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme.”  Mark Twain

Pseudohistory meanwhile, is a term applied to texts which purport to be historical in nature but which depart from standard historiographical conventions in a way which undermines their conclusions. It is closely related to deceptive historical revisionism. Works which draw controversial conclusions from new, speculative, or disputed historical evidence, particularly in the fields of national, political, military, and religious affairs, are often rejected as pseudohistory.

In several countries history textbooks are tools to foster nationalism and patriotism, and give students the official narrative about national enemies. In many countries, history textbooks are sponsored by the national government and are written to put the national heritage in the most favourable light.

Academic historians have often fought against the politicization of the textbooks, sometimes with success.

“History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.”  Winston S. Churchill

In 21st-century Germany for instance, the history curriculum is controlled by the 16 states, and is characterized not by superpatriotism but rather by an "almost pacifistic and deliberately unpatriotic undertone" and reflects "principles formulated by international organizations such as UNESCO or the Council of Europe, thus oriented towards human rights, democracy and peace." The result is that "German textbooks usually downplay national pride and ambitions and aim to develop an understanding of citizenship centered on progress, tolerance and Europeanness.

Case and point, is the History of the “History Is Written by the Victors” adage many attribute to Winston S. Churchill, but it turns out he was just rewriting iteration of sentiments by Hermann G?ring.

“The victor will always be the judge, and the vanquished the accused.” Gustave Mark Gilbert (prison psychologist at the Nuremberg Trials)…

Food for thought!