HSC History Extension flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Historiography

The study of the writing of history: the methods, sources, assumptions and purposes of historians, and how interpretations of the past change over time.

Primary source

Evidence produced within the period being studied, such as letters, official records or artefacts, created by participants or witnesses rather than later commentators.

Secondary source

An account or interpretation produced after the events it discusses, such as a scholarly monograph, which synthesises and analyses primary evidence.

E.H. Carr

Historian who argued that history is a continuous dialogue between historian and facts, and that facts become historical only when selected by a historian.

Geoffrey Elton

Empiricist historian who defended rigorous archival research, insisting that documentary evidence, not present-day ideology, should discipline historical interpretation.

Keith Jenkins

Postmodern theorist who argued that history is a construction shaped by ideology and language, and that no interpretation holds a privileged position over others.

Hayden White

Literary theorist of history who claimed historians shape the past through narrative forms such as romance, tragedy, comedy and satire, which carry meaning.

Leopold von Ranke

Nineteenth-century historian associated with the ideal of reconstructing the past as it actually was, based on critical examination of archival documents.

Empiricism in history

The position that historical knowledge rests on evidence and method rather than theory, and that careful source criticism can establish what actually happened.

Postmodern history

An approach holding that historical accounts are constructed narratives shaped by language, power and ideology, so no single account is definitively true.

Historical relativism

The view that historical interpretations are shaped by the historian's own time, culture and values, so judgements of the past are never wholly neutral.

Presentism

Interpreting the past through present-day assumptions and values; criticised as anachronistic, yet some argue all history is written from present concerns.

Anachronism

The error of placing ideas, practices or values in a period to which they do not belong, distorting understanding of how people then thought and acted.

Historical revisionism

The re-examination of accepted interpretations in light of new evidence or new questions, producing revised accounts of events previously treated as settled.

Case study comparison

A method of analysing how two or more historians construct the same past, comparing their sources, methods, arguments and contexts rather than ranking them.

Periodisation

The division of the past into named periods; such divisions are interpretive choices that highlight some changes and obscure others.

Agency in history

The capacity of individuals or groups to act and influence events; debates over agency concern whether change is driven by people or by structures.

History Project question

A focused, arguable inquiry answerable from available evidence; it frames the research and must be refined as sources are surveyed.

Source origin

The circumstances of a source's creation: who produced it, when, where and in what context, which shapes how it should be interpreted and used.

Source purpose

The intention behind a source's creation, such as persuasion, record-keeping or justification, which affects the reliability of its content.

Source audience

The intended recipients of a source; audience shapes tone, omission and emphasis, and helps explain why information is presented as it is.

Source limitation

A constraint on what a source can establish for a given question, arising from its origin, purpose, audience, bias, incompleteness or distance from events.

Oral history

Recorded testimony about past experience; valuable for perspective and memory, but shaped by hindsight, interviewer influence and selective recall.

Archival research

Systematic work in repositories of original records, requiring catalogues, access conditions and careful recording of citations for each document consulted.

Footnote citation

A reference giving author, title, publisher, date and page for a source used; consistency and completeness allow readers to verify claims.

Plagiarism

Presenting another person's words, ideas or research as one's own without acknowledgement; in the project it is a serious academic breach.

Annotated bibliography

A list of sources with brief notes on each source's content, origin and usefulness to the research question, demonstrating breadth of reading.

Historiographical context

The existing body of interpretations and debates on a topic, which a project must identify and engage with to establish its own position.

Argument in the project

A sustained, evidence-based case answering the research question, developed through analysis of sources rather than description or summary.

Reflective statement

A component in which the researcher evaluates the inquiry process, including problems encountered, decisions made and how understanding changed.

Synthesis of sources

Combining evidence from multiple sources to build an interpretation, weighing agreement and conflict rather than treating any single source as decisive.

Bias in evidence

A slant or partiality in a source; it does not automatically destroy value, since bias itself can reveal the attitudes and interests of its creator.