History and Historiography: What is the difference?

History is the event, and historiography is how to study it and make sense of it.

Defining the concept of history might seem straightforward if we look at it superficially. Unlike more precise areas of knowledge, such as mathematics, history is a living and flexible social science, and perspective plays a crucial role in how it is defined.

If you ask an elementary school student, history may be either their favorite subject or the hardest one for them to learn, with all those dates and data. For an anthropologist, history could be a set of events and deeds, especially those experienced by a person, group, or social community members. A teacher might see history as an orderly and detailed account of these events and deeds and those related to some aspect of human activity.

The Oxford dictionary offers all the definitions for a single field of study because, when talking about history, the point of view is crucial to understanding how and why it is recorded in the first place.

This written record of who witnesses events that build a collective memory is why history exists as we know it. We have access to it through tangible sources and can teach it in schools. However, how does history relate to historiography? What is historiography, and why aren’t they the same?

How do we build a vision of the past?

To understand the concept of historiography, one must go through the process that makes both the event and the record possible. Professor Emily Blank of Rowan University explains with concrete examples the difference between history and historiography. History is the event or period and the study of it. Historiography is the study of how history was written, who wrote it, and what factors influenced how it was written.

Who makes sense of history?

You do not need to be a history professional to participate in it. In previous articles, we have talked about how historical sources have evolved, influenced by factors like the resources to generate texts and who had access to them (for example, the printing press). Today, anyone with internet access can make a historical record through a social network, blog, or virtual public space.

But who decides that specific content is generated or recounts a historical moment? Who is in charge of elaborating a complete visión with the pertinent perspectives about the event? Historians do this work.

The historians dedicate themselves to the research, analysis, and interpretation of historical texts and records. They usually specialize in some particular historiographical current and focus on a specific historical period or some aspect that distinguishes it.

The work of a historian consists of finding out and procuring all the possible sources about the period or aspect of interest. With the information obtained and interpreted, the historian puts together a cohesive account to understand past events. This is the process behind the history books we read or the subject curricula offered in the schools.

Historians are distinguished by their research persistence, passion for reading, ability to process large volumes of information, and the critical sense to sort and prioritize data when weaving a historical account. The most committed professional historian to objectivity falls short. It is impossible to be 100% objective when the object of study involves people’s past experiences. However, there must be veracity and the flexibility to find the most optimal and empathetic interpretation that balances perspective and the event.

In this line of work, one must consider that history is not just the object of study; it is the road to learning and a deeper understanding not of a set of events but of how they have shaped the world we now know.

Have you taught or participated in a historiography class? In what ways does a history class differ? Do you think it is essential for the students in the primary education levels to understand this difference? Tell us in the comments.

Sofía García-Bullé

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This article from Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education may be shared under the terms of the license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0