Historical Study

Historical studies imply the identification, location, evaluation, and synthesis from the past, with an aim not to only discover the events of the past, but to relate these past events to the present, and to the future. According to Leininger (1985, p. 109), ’Without a past, there is no meaning to the present, nor can we develop a sense of ourselves as individuals and as members of groups’.

The process of conducting a historical study includes some typical steps such as problem identification, literature review, data collection and analysis. The data are usually found in documents, artefacts and relics, but are also obtained through oral reports. The data sources may be found in libraries, archives, or in personal collections.

The sources of historical data are divided into primary and secondary sources, the former providing first-hand information or direct evidence, and the latter providing second-hand information. Primary sources include: oral histories, written records, diaries, eyewitnesses, photographs, and physical evidence. Secondary sources often use the primary sources to analyse the topic.

The collected data undergo two types of evaluation – external and internal criticism. External criticism is concerned with the authenticity of the data (validity), whereas internal ctiticism examines the accuracy of the data (reliability), and it follows the extrenal criticism. Internal criticism is more difficult to conduct because when evaluating the material in a document and determining if the material is accurate, motives and possible biases of the author must be taken into consideration.