The concept of objectivity in historical research and how historians attempt to remain objective in their interpretations of the past.
Historiography: The study of the methodological principles and theories of historical research.
Objectivity: The idea that historical research should be impartial, objective, and unbiased.
Subjectivity: The opposite of objectivity, subjectivity is the idea that historical research is influenced by the researcher's personal beliefs and experiences.
Primary sources: Original documents and materials from the time period being studied, such as letters, diaries, and newspapers.
Secondary sources: Works written about a particular time period or event by historians and other scholars.
Bias: A preconceived idea or attitude that can influence research.
Narrative: The way historical events are organized and presented to tell a story.
Interpretation: The process of explaining the meaning and significance of historical events.
Epistemology: The branch of philosophy that deals with knowledge, including its nature and methods of acquisition.
Hermeneutics: The science of interpretation, which includes the interpretation of historical texts.
Contextualization: The process of placing historical events in their larger historical, social, and cultural contexts.
Historical method: The systematic process by which historians collect, analyze, and interpret historical data.
Hegemony: The dominance of one group over another, often resulting from economic or political power.
Ideology: A set of beliefs and values that shape a person's worldview.
Postmodernism: A philosophical movement that challenges traditional notions of truth and objectivity.
Marxism: A political and economic theory that emphasizes class struggle and social equality.
Feminism: A political and social movement that seeks to achieve gender equality.
Deconstruction: A literary theory that seeks to reveal the hidden meanings and contradictions in texts.
Structuralism: A theoretical approach that emphasizes the underlying structures that shape human behavior and culture.
Discourse: The language and patterns of thought that shape social interactions and power dynamics.
Epistemic objectivity: This type of objectivity is concerned with reducing or eliminating subjectivity by using empirical evidence, rigorous logical reasoning and sound analytical methods.
Critical objectivity: Critical objectivity refers to the ability to assess different interpretations or arguments critically, giving a fair hearing to opposing views and considering evidence carefully.
Ethical objectivity: Ethical objectivity refers to the adoption of a moral stance that upholds certain ethical principles such as impartiality, fairness, honesty and transparency.
Hermeneutic objectivity: Hermeneutic objectivity emphasizes the importance of interpretation and understanding the context in which historical events occurred. It recognizes that interpretations can never be entirely objective since they are shaped by the historian's background, assumptions and beliefs.
Social objectivity: This type of Objectivity highlights the social and cultural dimensions of historical research. Historians recognize that different social groups and cultures have different perspectives and interpretations of events.
Phenomenological Objectivity: Phenomenological Objectivity refers to the ability to explain how the individual experience of a phenomenon works in a way that takes into account the individual's interpretation of the experience.
Postmodern Objectivity: This approach understands how the objectivity of a history can have limiting effects and can be shaped by the historian's social identity or class. The postmodern approach to objectivity recognizes that historical representations are never neutral or completely objective, and that historians have the responsibility to acknowledge their subjectivity.