INTRODUCTION
Interpretations of historical events is a lot of more complicated than just find out what happened
in the past. This complexity stems from the fact that both historians and normal people differ in
the way they look, study, analyses and interpreted historical events or past. Before we evaluate
assertion with respect to the changing of the interpretations of historical events by the people it is
better to understand the question that “why historians study society?". Historians study society
because society is a subject matter of history, historians study society in order to understand the
past, present and future of human society and also as society is on which people vary in
interpreting historical events hence historians study society because (historians and other
individual lives in society1. After that people perception towards significance given to certain
events by the people's perception towards events varies not because of the new information has
been discovered but only perception of people itself, person to person. The way individual
interpreting events to day vary and base on individual views this may be due to social, cultural,
educational level as well ability to access information from place to place. In particular the
differing perception towards historical events can be easily attributed 2the interpretation of
history is subject to change over time due to various factors such as new discoveries, evolving
perspectives, and shifting societal values. As our understanding of the past deepens, historians
continually reevaluate historical events, figures, and narratives. This process of reinterpretation
allows for a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of history. In this response, we will
explore the reasons behind changing interpretations of history as follows;
Historical bias and omissions
When historians describe something, such as a person, a society, or an event, they usually
describe just certain aspects of those things, such as the character of the person, the politically
active groups in the society, and the major changes that occurred in something during the event,
such as the changes in an economy during a period of inflation, These concerns about past bias in
history seem quite intelligible3, When historians investigate a historical subject, they normally
acquire masses of information about it, and they have to find a way of describing it that will
represent it fairly without providing an exhaustive description of it. White and Ankersmit have
been impressed by the sublimity of historical events Historians sometimes misinterpret evidence
so that they are not justified in asserting that the inferences they draw about what happened in
the past are true for example they, might attend to evidence that suggests that a certain event
occurred but ignore evidence that shows it to have been impossible. Because biased sources can
1
Caims, G. E. (1962) "Philosophies of History". Philosophical Library, New York
2
Mink, Louis O. (1968). "Philosophical Analysis and Historical Understanding". The Review of
Metaphysics.
3
F. R. Ankersmit, (1998), "Hayden White's Appeal to the Historians," History and Theory 37,
pg. 182-193.
yield biased history interpretation4, that is, history that is partial because someone has influenced
the process of historical reconstruction in accordance with his or her own preference. The
clearest examples of this kind of bias is in causal explanations, where some important causes are
omitted because of a biased conviction that they are not important. Some, for instance, omit all
reference to the interests of agents, and others more or less ignore commitment to principles as a
cause of actions, reflecting their liberal or socialist leanings. Histories that omit important
features of their subject are misleading in the sense that they are presented as complete, relative
to their degree of detail, when they are not.
Global and comparative perspective
In history can lead to new interpretations of past events and the role various societies played in
shaping the world. This can be achieved through the identification of previously unknown
connections, the examination of underrepresented voices, and the consideration of alternative
explanations for historical events. Global and comparative perspective5 can reveal previously
unknown connections between historical events, cultures, and societies. For example, the study
of the Mongol Empire’s impact on Eurasia has shown that the empire facilitated the exchange of
ideas, technologies, and cultural practices that contributed to the development of the modern
world. A global and comparative perspective in the study of history is vital for understanding the
interconnectedness of past societies and events. This approach can lead to new interpretations of
history by identifying previously unknown connections, examining underrepresented voices, and
considering alternative explanations for historical events. By incorporating a global and
comparative perspective6 into the study of history, historians can develop a more comprehensive
understanding of the past and its impact on the present.
Historical Methodologies
Historical methodology involves the use of reference sources, which include secondary sources
like almanacs, charts, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other forms of information, some of which
4
Volker R. Berghahn and Hanna Schissler (1987) " Perceptions of History": Oxford, pg. 14-22
5
Berger, (Stefan 2003), "Comparative History", in: idem et al. (eds.): Writing History: Theory
and Practice, London, pg. 161–179.
6
Braembussche, Antoon A. van den (1989): "Historical Explanation and Comparative Method":
Towards a Theory of the History of Society, in: History and Theory 28, pg. 1–24.
are available online Various methodologies used7 in interpreting history can lead changes in
perspectives of interpretation of various historical events, for stance Marxist interpretation of
history always based on class struggle and economic factors when interpreting various historical
events Marxist tend to emphasize more on the role of social classes and material condition as the
major causes of societies changes or development, but there oral tradition where by individual
one narrate events to one another orally which can differ from written documents and lead
difference of information for the same events, can lead changes in the interpretation of history,
also scholars engaged in the interpretation of history can have different views depending their
emotions, nationality or context, mood, where can interpret the same events but in different
ways8 or manner due to their historical background and lead changes of interpretation of history,
also the advances in historical methodology, such as the application of new analytical
frameworks or interdisciplinary approaches, can lead to reevaluating previously accepted
interpretations. For example, the emergence of postcolonial studies and the consideration of oral
histories have allowed for a more nuanced understanding of the experience of colonized peoples,
challenging earlier Eurocentric interpretations of history.
Evolving scholarship and Authorship
It is an important characteristic that displays an individual's contribution and legitimacy to a
research effort. With this chronology in mind, it is useful to think of the pre-1801 period of
American printing9 in three distinct phases: the beginnings to about 1740, 1740 to 1776, and
1776 to 1800. There were fifteen printing shops operating in nine towns, with five in Boston, two
each in New York and Philadelphia, and single shops in Charleston Authors when writing any
historical history tends to consider both social, cultural, political and economic context where
earlier historiography authors tend to use their own sources of information based on societal
issues, likewise in modern historiography authors vary from classical because societal issues are
varying day to day and this leads to variation sources of writing the history and this accelerated
to changing interpretation of history. Examples; Romantic Movement emphasized the
importance of the individual, which led to intellectual and creative copyright laws being
consolidated during the 19th century. It wasn’t until postmodernist critiques of literary theory, in
the middle of the 20th century10, that ideas of individualism were challenged, because new
knowledge experienced to the authors on time, also during the course of the sixteenth century,
7
Clark, G. Kitson, "Guide for Research Students Working on Historical Subjects": OUP,
Cambridge, 1972
8
Rouet, J. F., Britt, M. A., Mason R. A. & Perfetti, C. A. (1996). "Using Multiple Sources of
Evidence to Reason about History". Journal of Educational Psychology, 88,478-493.
9
Epstein, Jason (2002) "Book Business": Publishing Past, Present, and Future. New York: W. W.
Norton
10
Thompson, John B. (2005) “Books in the Digital Age". Cambridge: Polity
hundreds of printers exercised their trade in towns and cities across Europe. Example in London,
for example, it was the booksellers who became dominant in the Stationers’ Company, Thomas
Short was the first printer in Connecticut, arriving in New London in 1709 to do the official
printing of the colony
Political and ideological shift
This lead to a revisionist approach to history, where previous interpretations are questioned or
discarded. This can be driven by a desire to correct perceived biases or fill in gaps in historical
narratives. Sometimes, new evidence or changing societal values prompt reassessment of past
events leading to updated interpretations. Also Political shifts often accompany changes in power
structures. When a new ideology or political group comes to power, they may seek to justify
their rule by controlling the narrative of history. They may reinterpret events to align with their
values and goals, while discrediting or marginalizing interpretations that challenge their
authority. For example, a nationalist movement might emphasize the achievements of their own
nation while downplaying any negative aspects also Ideological and political shifts often reflect
larger societal transformations, such as shifts in cultural norms, technology, or socioeconomic
structures.
Changing societal perspectives
Social history, is the branch of history that emphasizes social structures and the interaction of
different groups in society rather than affairs of state, also social history publishes articles
that explain and analyses the operation of social behaviors, attitudes, roles, formations and
structures, and processes of social and moral regulation includes family, education, culture,
gender, population, religion, etc. Societal, cultural aspect changes can influence the changing
interpretation of history, the "new social history" movement exploded on the scene in the 1960s,
emerged in the UK and quickly become one of the dominant styles of historiography there as
well in the US and in Canada. Gender history focuses on the categories, discourses and
experiences of femininity and masculinity as they develop over time. Gender history gained
prominence after it was conceptualized in 1986 by Joan w. Scott, also women history11 exploded
into prominence in the 1970s, the History of the family emerged12 as a separate field in the
1970s, The "new urban history" emerged in the 1950s in Britain and in the 1960s in the US, the
historiography of religion focuses mostly on theology and church organization and development.
Recently the study of the social history or religious behavior and belief has become important.
As societal perspectives evolve, historians may reinterpret historical events and figures through
different lenses, taking into account factors such as gender, race, or social class. For instance, the
Thomas Dublin, "Women, Work, and Family": The View from the United States," Journal of
11
Women's History, Autumn 99, Vol. 11 Issue 3, pp 17-21
12
Jürgen Kocka, "Industrial Culture and Bourgeois Society: Business, Labor, and Bureaucracy
in Modern Germany", 1800-1918 (New York: Berghahn Books, 1999), pp 275-97, at p. 276
Civil Rights Movement in the United States prompted a reevaluation of America's history of
racial discrimination and slavery.
History is not absolute
Which means everyone evaluates every event differently, which leads to misunderstanding
between people. These misunderstandings take the shape of disputes and then much bigger
conflicts, such as racism and sectarianism, an individual or historian can interpret history in a
number of ways; based on his or her experience, the surrounding environment, community and
the people who contact them, also the question of history comes with a powerful sign, that
everyone wonder about those question because they rise up sub-questions, also those questions
relates directly with day to day life which have got the close linkage or association with
economic, cultural, political13, and societal issues, also people perceive history depends on their
level of understanding and with the school of thought which restricts to understand the true
essence of history they associate with also historical discourse is based on a more evasive mode
especially when it comes to the way of meaningful transfer.
Historical Technological changes
Technology, is the application of scientific knowledge to the practical aims of human life or, as it
is sometimes phrased, to the change and manipulation of the human environment or the
development over time of systematic techniques for making and doing things, When it first
appeared in English in the 17th century, it was used to mean a discussion of the applied arts only,
and gradually these “arts” themselves came to be the object of the designation. By the early 20th
century the term embraced a growing range of means, processes, and ideas in addition to
tools and machines14. By mid-century technology was defined by such phrases as “the means or
activity by which man seeks to change or manipulate his environment.” Technology in the
ancient world the beginnings. Stone Age technology (to c. 3000 BCE) during this time animals
occasionally use natural tools such as sticks or stones, the basic tools of prehistoric peoples were
determined by the materials at their disposal. About 5,000 years ago, however, a momentous
cultural transition began to take place in a few well-favoured geographical situations. It
generated new needs and resources and was accompanied by a significant increase in
technological innovation. It was the beginning of the invention of the city. Also industrial
revolution was another technological innovation in human history occurred in (1750-1900), all of
them creates a variation in interpreting the concept of history because every innovation brought
about new lifestyle to the people where the situation resulted into varies changes in their daily
life activities hence even historical interpretation changed.
Generally
13
Cleland, CE. "Methodological and Epistemic differences between historical science and
experimental science". Philosophy of science, Vol, 69, no.3, 2002, 447-451
Bunge, M. "Philosophical Inputs and Outputs of Technology, in The History and Philosophy of
14
Technology", edited by George Bugliarello and Dean B. Doner (Urbana: University of Illinois
Press, 1979).
It is important to note that historical interpretations are not always fixed or definitive, and they
can be subject to ongoing debates, revisions, and reinterpretations as our understanding of the
past continues to evolve, the evolution of historical interpretations stems from changing societal
perspectives, not just newfound information, shaping how we perceive events and figures in
history. This dynamic nature highlights the influence of present perceptions on the significance
attributed to the past. Perspectives evolve, altering how we view historical events and figures,
often due to changes in societal values or cultural shifts, rather than solely because of new
information. These shifts can reshape how we understand and interpret past events and the
people involved, sometimes even more so than new factual information.
REFERENCES
Mink, Louis O. (1968). "Philosophical Analysis and Historical Understanding". The review of
Metaphysics.
Caims, G. E. (1962) "Philosophies of History". Philosophical Library, New York.
F. R. Ankersmit, (1998), “Hayden White's Appeal to the Historians," History and Theory 37, pg.
182-193.
Volker R. Berghahn and Hanna Schissler (1987) "Perceptions of History": Oxford
Rouet, J. F., Britt, M. A., Mason R. A. & Perfetti, C. A. (1996). "Using Multiple Sources of
Evidence to Reason about History": Journal of Educational Psychology, 88, pg. 478-493.
Berger, (Stefan 2003), “Comparative History", in: idem et al. (eds.): Writing History: Theory
and Practice, London, pg. 161–179.
Braembussche, Antoon A. van den (1989): "Historical Explanation and Comparative Method":
Towards a Theory of the History of Society, in: History and Theory 28, pg. 1–24.
Clark, G. Kitson, “Guide for Research Students Working on Historical Subjects", OUP,
Cambridge, 1972.
Thompson, John B. (2005), “Books in the Digital Age". Cambridge: Polity
C.W. B. Gallie, (1964), "Philosophy and the Historical Understanding": London
Thomas Dublin, "Women, Work, and Family": The View from the United States, Journal of
Women's History, autumn 99, Vol. 11 Issue 3, pp 17-21.
Jürgen Kocka, Industrial Culture and Bourgeois Society: Business, Labor, and Bureaucracy in
Modern Germany", 1800-1918 (New York: Berghahn Books, 1999), pp 275-97, at p. 276
Cleland, CE. "Methodological and Epistemic differences between historical science and
experimental science. Philosophy of science", Vol, 69, no.3, 2002, 447-451.
Bunge, M. "Philosophical inputs and outputs of technology, in The History and Philosophy of
Technology", edited by George Bugliarello and Dean B. Doner (Urbana: University of Illinois
Press, 1979)
