3 highlights about Historical knowledge to change the way you see the past
Participating in scientific research was one of the best things I did as a high school student. I did not finish this project as I initially intended, but I was able, through articles and many mind-shattering meetings and discussions, to learn a lot, as a student and as a person. That’s why I leave the highlights of this participation in this little article.
Many of the articles studied focused on the student and the school environment, but they all brought in some way insights that can be applied far beyond the classroom, starting with social discourses and conclusions about history that people have today, such as:
What historical consciousness means and how it helped me understand the importance of studying it;
2. What is historical knowledge and how is it produced,
3. Seeing the past as permanent is problematic.
What historical consciousness means and how it helped me understand the importance of studying it
Understanding this term was the key to not seeing history as just another subject at school. It was the first term I learned, and so far my favorite.
Historical consciousness, according to the book by Marieta de Moraes Ferreira and Margarida de Oliveira, designates the consciousness that every rational human agent acquires and constructs when reflecting on their concrete life and their position in the temporal process of existence.
In other words, historical consciousness is all the present perception you have in your temporal process, which period of time you are in and all reflection coming from that point.
Hans-Jurgen Pandel (researcher and History professor) also proposed seven dimensions of the category historical consciousness, all of which can be considered localization tools, such as time consciousness, sensitivity to/with reality, awareness of historicity and other social sensibilities and notations.
There are, in fact, many definitions and perceptions that can help us understand and develop historical consciousness, which, to a certain extent, is naturally developed. We just need to open our eyes to our daily criticisms and achievements and how much we look at history through them.
What is historical knowledge and how is it produced
One of the many popular conclusions about history that do not give us a true understanding of historical knowledge and its importance is the difference between producing historical knowledge and consuming historical knowledge.
Simply put, historical knowledge is everything known as “historical fact” conclusions and representations drawn from past facts with the help of records, and historical sources. Historical knowledge is not only produced by historical sources (such as documents, letters, legal processes, among others) but also by historians, who play a crucial role in the production of this knowledge. in the contextualization and interpretation of these materials when studied. some certain timeline. They do this by Interpreting and contextualizing fonts and past studies.
Consuming historical content is having contact with this knowledge. This does not mean that consuming this content does not enhance the production of more knowledge, but it is important to know how to differentiate between when you are in a history museum or reading a book about history and when it is a critical study, analysis, and activity under some historical source.
Important observation: How can we trust the content we consume if we don’t even know how it was produced?
Seeing the past as permanent is problematic
Not thinking about the production of historical knowledge leads us to the last point, seeing the past as permanent, and immutable. All the time, more discoveries are being made, and more studies are leading to new conclusions. The idea that “everything has already been invented” is a myth, discoveries appear with new problems and thus the need for other solutions. A current example? The use of artificial intelligence for academic uses and new problems that children face with it. Or even, the problems caused by the generation that was born in the internet era and how we will deal with them.
Lots of people have the perception that “everything happened as it happened and it was exactly how we were taught”. This view, in addition to emphasizing the acceptance of the study of the past without greater curiosity, limits the person to seeing history as a timeline without analyzing other factors, the idea that the past does not change generates the feeling of stagnation.
An important point when it comes to history is the understanding that when it comes to the past, there are different perspectives, which change as the study progresses and must be interpreted through context. It is important to understand that no single historical source is true, but multiple.
These three lessons gave me fascinating discussions with my coordinator and a much greater interest in history, seeing the subject differently. Understanding and studying history correctly can help us grow a lot as a person, develop a critical sense crucial to our success, and change our intellectual daily life, leading us to analyze and understand our present consistently.
