Concept of History; by - Sumanta Ghosh

The story of the past is History. It is also an incremental process. But remember one thing, all pasts are not History. The student of history discovers, examines, and interprets the record of past human societies. C.H.Carr said,-"History consists of a corpus of ascertained facts. The facts are available to the historian in documents, inscriptions and so on, like fish on the fish monger's slab. The historian collects them, takes them home, and cooks and serves them in whatever style appeals to him". Carr also said,-"The historian is part of history. The point in the procession at which he finds himself determines his angle of vision over the past".

Actually History is a branch of knowledge which based on past events. Accroding to John J. Anderson-"History is a narration of the events which have happened among mankind, including an account of the rise and fall of nations, as well as of other great changes which have affected the political and social condition of the human race". Here is another view to define History by Henry David Thoreau. He said-"Most events recorded in history are more remarkable than important, like eclipses of the sun and moon, by which all are attracted, but whose effects no one takes the trouble to calculate."

Actually, it is true that History is the story of the past but you should remember one thing that, no one wants to tell the story of the whole past, and no one could. It is impossible to recover the whole past. 

Without historian, History is nothing. The facts, speak only when the historian calls on them: it is he who decides 

to which facts to give the door, and in what order or context. That's why - if there is no historian, there is no History. Historian try to implement their own view, that's why we have to face "Debate in History". Actually It is like a bus accident with five witnesses. Each witness saw the same accident, yet all five will have a slightly, or even a greatly different version of what actually happened.

History is true knowledge of the past. It has absolutely no meaning, but its highway is traced as an endeavour

to find in the past some light to clear and render easier our uncertain walking towards the future.

Reference:

1) What is History- E.H.Carr

2) Tha Idea of History- R.J.Collingwood

3)The Meaning Of History- Giorgio Facchi

4)Defining History- Robert Milton Underwood

5)Prof. Sabyasachi Chatterjee's class note (Associate Professor, Kalyani University)

6)K. Kris Hirst's article (Archaeology Expert)

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