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Historical significance

April 27, 2024

Historical significance is a historiographical key concept that explores and seeks to explain the selection of particular social and cultural past events for remembrance by human societies. This element of selection involved in both ascribing and analyzing historical significance is one factor in making the discipline of history distinct from the past.[1] Historians consider knowledge of dates and events within and between specific historical periods the primary content of history, also known as "first-order knowledge" or substantive concepts. In contrast, historical significance is an example of a subject specific secondary key concept or "second-order knowledge" also known as a meta-concept,[2] or disciplinary concept,[3] which is typically used to help organize knowledge within a subject area, frame suitable areas of inquiry, provide the framework upon which substantive knowledge can be built, and map learner progression within a subject discipline.[4] Specifically with regards to historical significance, the way dates and events are chosen and ascribed relative significance is not fixed and can change over time according to which criteria were used to form the judgement of significance as well as how those criteria were chosen themselves in the first place. This aspect to significance has been described as:

Some would say the Ferranti MRT is "just" a clipboard with a built in calculator, but others claim it has historical significance as "the world's first application-specific handheld computer".

“a flexible relationship between us and the past”.[5]

Historical significance is often regarded as involving judging why a particular person or event is remembered and why another is not, it is this aspect of reasoned and evaluative judgement about historical significance that makes history writing differ from being simply a record of past events.[6]

"as soon as we turn to questions of significance—of why something happened versus the mere fact of its happening—history becomes an act of judgment."[7]

This emphasis on exploring what has been deemed significant by certain societies in contrast to what has been left out of the historical record has led to historical significance often being paired with the concept of historical silence, which looks at why and how certain social class, racial, and/or ethnic groups have not featured in the historical record or whose contributions have not been seen as significant at particular times, and in particular contexts.[8][9][10][11] Thus historical significance is not an intrinsic or fixed property of a particular historical event but rather more of an assessment of who, why, and how that event was judged significant enough to be remembered.[12] With this potential fluidity in mind, it therefore follows that any assessment of historical significance should not be seen as fixed or permanent.[13]

"historical significance is not an enduring or unchanging characteristic of any particular event. It is a contingent quality that depends on the perspective from which that event is subsequently viewed."[13]

Relevance edit

A key concept for the study of history and public life in most societies regardless of topic, historical significance makes judgements about what is important to be remembered about the past and why, through its reflections on historical aspects to contemporary culture and society[14] including historical reputations, events, issues,[15] monuments,[16] and what is chosen to be emphasized in history writing itself.[9] Examining what has been included and what has been left out of the historical record can be an effective tool for guiding students to understand how cultural background affects their perception of history.[17] The teaching of how to assess what has been considered significant and what has been left out has been described as:

"surely a fundamental corner-stone of a liberal and democratic education and a pre-requisite for effective citizenship."[18]

The relevance of historical significance can also be demonstrated by its near ubiquitous appearance in provincial, national and international history curriculums including, but not limited to: the Singapore National Curriculum,[19] the English National Curriculum,[20] the IB Diploma History Guide,[21] the New Zealand National Curriculum,[22] and the Australian National Curriculum.[23]

Definitions edit

There are many definitions of historical significance. For example, UNESCO includes any site as a world heritage site, provided it:

"bear[s] a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization".[24]

Other notable examples include the following, the International Baccalaureate Diploma History Guide which includes historical significance as one of its six historical concepts alongside the other five: Perspectives, Change, Continuity, Causation and Consequence. The IBO define historical significance as including:

"the record that has been preserved through evidence or traces of the past, and/or the aspects that someone has consciously decided to record and communicate".[21]

This definition has overlaps with that provided by the Historical Thinking Project which includes significance as one of its six key concepts of historical thinking:

"A historical person or event can acquire significance if we, the historians, can link it to larger trends and stories that reveal something important for us today".[25]

Criteria for assessing historical significance edit

Historical significance is typically assessed by judging an event against pre-defined criteria and numerous criteria for assessing historical significance have been proposed.[12][26][27][28][29] However, these criteria are always subjective, and therefore debatable.[24] There can also be important differences between what is seen as significant in terms of the dominant national narratives of particular countries, what is taught in schools, and how certain groups such as minority groups may see the significance of a particular event.[30] Thus describing any event as historically significant or non-significant remains open to challenge.[24] Typically significance teaching models are not designed to be used as checklists but rather unique disciplinary lenses or principles for examining relative historical significance commonly attached to a historical event or historical personage's actions.[12] These could include different subdivisions of significance such as: contemporary significance, causal significance, pattern significance, symbolic significance, revelatory significance, and present significance.[31]

References edit

  1. ^ Bergman, Karin (2020-10-20). "How younger students perceive and identify historical significance". History Education Research Journal. 17 (2). doi:10.14324/HERJ.17.2.03. ISSN 2631-9713. S2CID 228960478.
  2. ^ van Drie, Jannet; van Boxtel, Carla (June 2008). "Historical Reasoning: Towards a Framework for Analyzing Students' Reasoning about the Past" (PDF). Educational Psychology Review. 20 (2): 87–110. doi:10.1007/s10648-007-9056-1. ISSN 1040-726X. S2CID 18301284.
  3. ^ Ofsted. "Developing disciplinary thinking through disciplinary concepts". Research review series: history. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  4. ^ Cambridge Assessment (18 March 2022). "Getting started with Key Concepts". Cambridge Assessment International Examinations. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  5. ^ Seixas, Peter (2013). The big six : historical thinking concepts. Tom Morton, Jill Colyer, Stefano Fornazzari. Toronto: Nelson Education. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-17-654154-5. OCLC 809317321.
  6. ^ Coffin, C (2006). Historical Discourse: The language of time, cause and evaluation. London: Continuum. pp. 129–130. ISBN 0826487769.
  7. ^ Wineburg, Samuel S. (2001). Historical thinking and other unnatural acts : charting the future of teaching the past. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. pp. 249–250. ISBN 1-56639-855-X. OCLC 45304687.
  8. ^ Levstik, Linda S. (2008). Researching history education : theory, method, and context. Keith C. Barton. New York. pp. 273–291. ISBN 978-1-4106-1676-0. OCLC 1022560730.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  9. ^ a b Trouillot, Michel-Rolph (2015). Silencing the past : power and the production of history. Boston: Beacon Press. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-8070-8053-5. OCLC 924271500.
  10. ^ Miles, James (2019-05-27). "Historical silences and the enduring power of counter storytelling". Curriculum Inquiry. 49 (3): 253–259. doi:10.1080/03626784.2019.1633735. ISSN 0362-6784. S2CID 201328431.
  11. ^ Misco, Thomas (2008-04-01). ""We did also save people": A Study of Holocaust Education in Romania After Decades of Historical Silence". Theory & Research in Social Education. 36 (2): 61–94. doi:10.1080/00933104.2008.10473367. ISSN 0093-3104. S2CID 144534854.
  12. ^ a b c Counsell, C. (2004). "Looking through a Josephine-Butler shaped window: Focusing pupils' thinking on historical significance". Teaching History, 114: 30–36 – via Historical Association.
  13. ^ a b "Significance". Historical Association. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  14. ^ National History Day. "Historical Significance" (PDF). NHD Rule Book: 8.
  15. ^ Wrenn, Andrew (2011). "Significance". Debates in History Teaching. Routledge. pp. 148–149. ISBN 978-0-203-83145-8.
  16. ^ Harcourt, Michael; Fountain, Gregor; Sheehan, Mark (2011). "Historical significance and sites of memory" (PDF). He W H a K A a R O a N O: 26–31.
  17. ^ Stephanie Levesque (Winter 2005). "Teaching second-order concepts in Canadian history: The importance of "historical significance"" (PDF). University of Western Ontario. (PDF) from the original on 30 April 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  18. ^ Phillips, Robert (1 March 2002). "Historical significance – the forgotten 'Key Element'?". Teaching History 106.
  19. ^ Singapore Ministry of Education (2021). "HISTORY TEACHING AND LEARNING SYLLABUSES" (PDF). The Singapore National Curriculum: 6.
  20. ^ Department for Education. "History programmes of study: key stage 3 National curriculum in England" (PDF). Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  21. ^ a b Baccalaureate, International (2015). Diploma Programme History Guide. IBO. p. 93.
  22. ^ New Zealand Ministry of Education. "History Glossary". NCEA Education. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  23. ^ The Australian National Curriculum. "Historical knowledge and understanding strand". Australian Curriculum. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  24. ^ a b c "Debating Historical Significance" (PDF). Edge Hill University. (PDF) from the original on 15 March 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  25. ^ Centre for the Study of Historical Consciousness. "Historical Significance". THE HISTORICAL THINKING PROJECT.
  26. ^ "Lesson notes". Cambridge University. from the original on 13 January 2017.
  27. ^ Fulton, David (2014). The Guided Reader to Teaching and Learning History. Routledge. pp. 108–14. ISBN 9781136472848.
  28. ^ Partington, Geoffrey (1980). The Idea of an Historical Education. NFER Publishing Company. ISBN 9780856332029.
  29. ^ Cercadillo, Lis (2006). "'Maybe they haven't decided yet what is right:' English and Spanish perspectives on teaching historical significance". Teaching History (125): 6–9. ISSN 0040-0610. JSTOR 43260148.
  30. ^ Lévesque, S (2009). Thinking historically: Educating students for the twenty-first century. University of Toronto Press. pp. 54–56. ISBN 978-1442610996.
  31. ^ Cercadillo, L. (2006). "'Maybe they haven't decided yet what is right': English and Spanish perspectives on teaching historical significance". Teaching History, 125: 6–9.

External links edit

  • Models for teaching historical significance
  • Historical significance and sites of memory
  • Debating historical significance
  • Some ideas for teaching significance

April 27, 2024
historical, significance, historiographical, concept, that, explores, seeks, explain, selection, particular, social, cultural, past, events, remembrance, human, societies, this, element, selection, involved, both, ascribing, analyzing, historical, significance. Historical significance is a historiographical key concept that explores and seeks to explain the selection of particular social and cultural past events for remembrance by human societies This element of selection involved in both ascribing and analyzing historical significance is one factor in making the discipline of history distinct from the past 1 Historians consider knowledge of dates and events within and between specific historical periods the primary content of history also known as first order knowledge or substantive concepts In contrast historical significance is an example of a subject specific secondary key concept or second order knowledge also known as a meta concept 2 or disciplinary concept 3 which is typically used to help organize knowledge within a subject area frame suitable areas of inquiry provide the framework upon which substantive knowledge can be built and map learner progression within a subject discipline 4 Specifically with regards to historical significance the way dates and events are chosen and ascribed relative significance is not fixed and can change over time according to which criteria were used to form the judgement of significance as well as how those criteria were chosen themselves in the first place This aspect to significance has been described as Some would say the Ferranti MRT is just a clipboard with a built in calculator but others claim it has historical significance as the world s first application specific handheld computer a flexible relationship between us and the past 5 Historical significance is often regarded as involving judging why a particular person or event is remembered and why another is not it is this aspect of reasoned and evaluative judgement about historical significance that makes history writing differ from being simply a record of past events 6 as soon as we turn to questions of significance of why something happened versus the mere fact of its happening history becomes an act of judgment 7 This emphasis on exploring what has been deemed significant by certain societies in contrast to what has been left out of the historical record has led to historical significance often being paired with the concept of historical silence which looks at why and how certain social class racial and or ethnic groups have not featured in the historical record or whose contributions have not been seen as significant at particular times and in particular contexts 8 9 10 11 Thus historical significance is not an intrinsic or fixed property of a particular historical event but rather more of an assessment of who why and how that event was judged significant enough to be remembered 12 With this potential fluidity in mind it therefore follows that any assessment of historical significance should not be seen as fixed or permanent 13 historical significance is not an enduring or unchanging characteristic of any particular event It is a contingent quality that depends on the perspective from which that event is subsequently viewed 13 Contents 1 Relevance 2 Definitions 3 Criteria for assessing historical significance 4 References 5 External linksRelevance editA key concept for the study of history and public life in most societies regardless of topic historical significance makes judgements about what is important to be remembered about the past and why through its reflections on historical aspects to contemporary culture and society 14 including historical reputations events issues 15 monuments 16 and what is chosen to be emphasized in history writing itself 9 Examining what has been included and what has been left out of the historical record can be an effective tool for guiding students to understand how cultural background affects their perception of history 17 The teaching of how to assess what has been considered significant and what has been left out has been described as surely a fundamental corner stone of a liberal and democratic education and a pre requisite for effective citizenship 18 The relevance of historical significance can also be demonstrated by its near ubiquitous appearance in provincial national and international history curriculums including but not limited to the Singapore National Curriculum 19 the English National Curriculum 20 the IB Diploma History Guide 21 the New Zealand National Curriculum 22 and the Australian National Curriculum 23 Definitions editThere are many definitions of historical significance For example UNESCO includes any site as a world heritage site provided it bear s a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization 24 Other notable examples include the following the International Baccalaureate Diploma History Guide which includes historical significance as one of its six historical concepts alongside the other five Perspectives Change Continuity Causation and Consequence The IBO define historical significance as including the record that has been preserved through evidence or traces of the past and or the aspects that someone has consciously decided to record and communicate 21 This definition has overlaps with that provided by the Historical Thinking Project which includes significance as one of its six key concepts of historical thinking A historical person or event can acquire significance if we the historians can link it to larger trends and stories that reveal something important for us today 25 Criteria for assessing historical significance editHistorical significance is typically assessed by judging an event against pre defined criteria and numerous criteria for assessing historical significance have been proposed 12 26 27 28 29 However these criteria are always subjective and therefore debatable 24 There can also be important differences between what is seen as significant in terms of the dominant national narratives of particular countries what is taught in schools and how certain groups such as minority groups may see the significance of a particular event 30 Thus describing any event as historically significant or non significant remains open to challenge 24 Typically significance teaching models are not designed to be used as checklists but rather unique disciplinary lenses or principles for examining relative historical significance commonly attached to a historical event or historical personage s actions 12 These could include different subdivisions of significance such as contemporary significance causal significance pattern significance symbolic significance revelatory significance and present significance 31 References edit Bergman Karin 2020 10 20 How younger students perceive and identify historical significance History Education Research Journal 17 2 doi 10 14324 HERJ 17 2 03 ISSN 2631 9713 S2CID 228960478 van Drie Jannet van Boxtel Carla June 2008 Historical Reasoning Towards a Framework for Analyzing Students Reasoning about the Past PDF Educational Psychology Review 20 2 87 110 doi 10 1007 s10648 007 9056 1 ISSN 1040 726X S2CID 18301284 Ofsted Developing disciplinary thinking through disciplinary concepts Research review series history Retrieved 22 March 2022 Cambridge Assessment 18 March 2022 Getting started with Key Concepts Cambridge Assessment International Examinations Retrieved 18 March 2022 Seixas Peter 2013 The big six historical thinking concepts Tom Morton Jill Colyer Stefano Fornazzari Toronto Nelson Education p 17 ISBN 978 0 17 654154 5 OCLC 809317321 Coffin C 2006 Historical Discourse The language of time cause and evaluation London Continuum pp 129 130 ISBN 0826487769 Wineburg Samuel S 2001 Historical thinking and other unnatural acts charting the future of teaching the past Philadelphia Temple University Press pp 249 250 ISBN 1 56639 855 X OCLC 45304687 Levstik Linda S 2008 Researching history education theory method and context Keith C Barton New York pp 273 291 ISBN 978 1 4106 1676 0 OCLC 1022560730 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link a b Trouillot Michel Rolph 2015 Silencing the past power and the production of history Boston Beacon Press p 27 ISBN 978 0 8070 8053 5 OCLC 924271500 Miles James 2019 05 27 Historical silences and the enduring power of counter storytelling Curriculum Inquiry 49 3 253 259 doi 10 1080 03626784 2019 1633735 ISSN 0362 6784 S2CID 201328431 Misco Thomas 2008 04 01 We did also save people A Study of Holocaust Education in Romania After Decades of Historical Silence Theory amp Research in Social Education 36 2 61 94 doi 10 1080 00933104 2008 10473367 ISSN 0093 3104 S2CID 144534854 a b c Counsell C 2004 Looking through a Josephine Butler shaped window Focusing pupils thinking on historical significance Teaching History 114 30 36 via Historical Association a b Significance Historical Association Retrieved 17 March 2022 National History Day Historical Significance PDF NHD Rule Book 8 Wrenn Andrew 2011 Significance Debates in History Teaching Routledge pp 148 149 ISBN 978 0 203 83145 8 Harcourt Michael Fountain Gregor Sheehan Mark 2011 Historical significance and sites of memory PDF He W H a K A a R O a N O 26 31 Stephanie Levesque Winter 2005 Teaching second order concepts in Canadian history The importance of historical significance PDF University of Western Ontario Archived PDF from the original on 30 April 2017 Retrieved 14 March 2019 Phillips Robert 1 March 2002 Historical significance the forgotten Key Element Teaching History 106 Singapore Ministry of Education 2021 HISTORY TEACHING AND LEARNING SYLLABUSES PDF The Singapore National Curriculum 6 Department for Education History programmes of study key stage 3 National curriculum in England PDF Retrieved 18 March 2022 a b Baccalaureate International 2015 Diploma Programme History Guide IBO p 93 New Zealand Ministry of Education History Glossary NCEA Education Retrieved 19 March 2022 The Australian National Curriculum Historical knowledge and understanding strand Australian Curriculum Retrieved 18 March 2022 a b c Debating Historical Significance PDF Edge Hill University Archived PDF from the original on 15 March 2019 Retrieved 12 March 2019 Centre for the Study of Historical Consciousness Historical Significance THE HISTORICAL THINKING PROJECT Lesson notes Cambridge University Archived from the original on 13 January 2017 Fulton David 2014 The Guided Reader to Teaching and Learning History Routledge pp 108 14 ISBN 9781136472848 Partington Geoffrey 1980 The Idea of an Historical Education NFER Publishing Company ISBN 9780856332029 Cercadillo Lis 2006 Maybe they haven t decided yet what is right English and Spanish perspectives on teaching historical significance Teaching History 125 6 9 ISSN 0040 0610 JSTOR 43260148 Levesque S 2009 Thinking historically Educating students for the twenty first century University of Toronto Press pp 54 56 ISBN 978 1442610996 Cercadillo L 2006 Maybe they haven t decided yet what is right English and Spanish perspectives on teaching historical significance Teaching History 125 6 9 External links editModels for teaching historical significance Historical significance and sites of memory Debating historical significance Some ideas for teaching significance Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Historical significance amp oldid 1209452851, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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