- "Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline."
Historical disciplines and topics encompass the diverse fields, methodologies, and subjects within the study of history, including but not limited to political, social, cultural, economic, and military history.
Historical Methodology: Studying the ways in which historians gather and interpret evidence.
Biographies and Historical Figures: Studying historical characters and the role they played in different eras.
Chronology: The study of events and historical periods in order of time and duration.
World History: The study of the global interactions between different societies and civilizations throughout history.
Historiography: The study of how history is written, recorded, and analyzed.
Archaeology: The study of human cultures and societies through the excavation and analysis of artifacts and material remains.
Oral history: The study of personal narratives and memories that provide insight into historical events and experiences.
Ethnography: The study of human behavior and cultures through direct observation and participation.
Memory studies (history): The study of the collective memory and how it shapes our understanding of historical events.
History of Human Rights: The study of human rights and their historical evolution in various societies and cultures.
Migration studies: The study of human migration and its impact on societies and cultures throughout history.
War and Conflict studies: The study of armed conflicts and their impact on societies and cultures.
Palaeontology: The study of prehistoric life, particularly through the analysis of fossils.
Genealogy: The study of family history and ancestry.
Ethnohistory: The study of indigenous cultures and their interactions with colonial powers.
Digital History: This young field uses digital tools and methods to study, analyze, and present historical events and data.
World Regional History: The study of the historical narrative of a world region such as African history, Asian history, and Latin American history.
Local History: History-focused on a particular geographic location, such as a city, town, or village. It's usually written by local residents, and it can cover a wide range of topics, such as architecture, social and political events, and economy.
State History: History-focused on the history of a particular state. It may cover significant events, historical figures, and developments that are unique to the state in question.
National History: History focused on the historical narrative of a particular country, including its origins, development, and significant events that shaped its identity.
Colonialism and Postcolonialism: The study of the colonial experience and its impact on societies and cultures, as well as the subsequent struggles for independence and decolonization.
Social Movements in History: The study of collective action and social change in historical contexts.
Globalization: The study of the increasing interconnectedness and interdependence of societies and cultures.
- "The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians have studied that topic by using particular sources, techniques, and theoretical approaches."
- "Scholars discuss historiography by topic—such as the historiography of the United Kingdom, that of WWII, the pre-Columbian Americas, early Islam, and China—and different approaches and genres, such as political history and social history."
- "Beginning in the nineteenth century, with the development of academic history, there developed a body of historiographic literature."
- "The extent to which historians are influenced by their own groups and loyalties—such as to their nation state—remains a debated question."
- "The Histories of Herodotus, the founder of historiography."
- "The Roman statesman Cato the Elder produced the first Roman historiography, the Origines, in the 2nd century BCE."
- "Sima Tan and Sima Qian in the Han Empire of China established Chinese historiography, compiling the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian)."
- "Medieval historiography included the works of chronicles in medieval Europe, Islamic histories by Muslim historians, and the Korean and Japanese historical writings based on the existing Chinese model."
- "Figures such as Voltaire, David Hume, and Edward Gibbon, who among others set the foundations for the modern discipline."
- "There has been a shift away from traditional diplomatic, economic, and political history toward newer approaches, especially social and cultural studies."
- "From 1975 to 1995 the proportion of professors of history in American universities identifying with social history increased from 31 to 41 percent."
- "The proportion of political historians decreased from 40 to 30 percent."
- "Of 5,723 faculty in the departments of history at British universities, 1,644 (29 percent) identified themselves with social history and 1,425 (25 percent) identified themselves with political history."
- "Since the 1980s there has been a special interest in the memories and commemoration of past events—the histories as remembered and presented for popular celebration."