IGNOU MHI 003 Important Questions with answers English Medium- IGNOU MHI 003 refers to the course Historiography offered by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) under the Master of Arts (History) program.
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Course Details
- Course Code: MHI-003
- Course Title: Historiography
- Credits: 6
- Level: Postgraduate
This course introduces students to the study of history writing, covering various theoretical approaches, schools of thought, and methodologies used by historians. It delves into both Western and Indian historiographical traditions, analyzing their evolution and critiques. Through the course, students develop critical thinking skills to evaluate historical narratives and gain a deeper understanding of the construction of historical knowledge. IGNOU MHI 003 Important Questions with answers English Medium
What are the different stages in which you may generalise about your work?
IGNOU MHI 003 Important Questions with answers English Medium- The widest form of wide generalisations is the study of a social system capitalism or stage of society feudalism or colonialism) or, above all, the transition from one system to another (feudalism to capitalism or colonialism to post-colonialism).
Some of the historians and sociologists who have undertaken such wide generalisations are: Karl Marx, Max Weber, Marc Bloch, Fernand Braudel, Eric Hobsbawm, Immanuel Wallerstein, and in India, D.D.Kosambi, R.S.Sharma, Romila Thapar, Irfan Habib.
Metahistory: Metahistory is often unhistorical, since it tries to impose a principle to organise history from outside history – this principle does not emerge from the concrete study of history itself. Quite often a single cause or ‘philosophy of history’ is used to explain all historical development. Examples of this approach are: Hegel, Spengler, Toynbee or recent writers on ‘The Clash of Civilizations’. Marxist or Weberian approaches are not examples of Metahistory, for they are theories for analysing concrete history, society, politics, ideology , etc. The elements of these approaches can be tested by analysing concrete history.
approaches can be right even if Marx’s or Weber’s own statements and analysis of concrete historical events, etc., are proved wrong. On the other hand, if Spengler’s or Toynbee’s analysis of any specific event is proved wrong, his entire theory or approach falls to the ground.
i) A major source is the previous writings on any subject which often contain different generalisations.
ii) Another major source consists of other social sciences, for example generalisations regarding individual behaviour and motivations, mass behaviour or behaviour of crowds, role of tradition, role of family, caste outlook and behaviour; economic theory and history; functioning of political systems; social anthropology (especially important for ancient and medieval history); linguistics; and so on.
IGNOU MHI 003 Important Questions with answers English Medium- These sources of generalisation are especially important in view of this changed nature of historical discipline in India in the last 50 years or so. History is no longer seen merely in terms of wars and diplomacy or from the point of view of the upper classes or ruling groups or males. It now pertains more to study of society, economy, wider political movements, culture, daily life, suppressed, dominated and marginal groups, such as women, lower castes and tribal groups, ecology, medicine, sports, etc.
iii) Theories of history, society, culture and politics such as those of Marx, Weber and Freud are another major source of generalisation.
iv) Historians also derive generalisations from the study of the present. For example, movements of dalits and other anti-caste groups, and of the tribal people. Similarly popular discontent and opposition movements can throw up many generalisations pertaining to the Indian national movement.
How can you improve your capacity to generalise?
What is causality? How is it used to explain an event or phenomenon?
What is a generalisation? Discuss the various types of generalisations?
Discuss the method followed in history for establishing the causality and explaining the occurrence of an event.
What is objectivity? Discuss the historiographical traditions which take the principle of objectivity as their basis.
What do you understand by the term ‘ideology’? Discuss the various usages of the term.
What role has the ideology played in influencing the course of history?
Discuss the important works of history written during the 14th century.
Discuss the development of historical writing in pre-modern China
Write a note on the theories involved in writing of history in pre-modern China.
What were the distinctive features of traditional Chinese historiography?
Discuss the tradition of Puranic genealogies.
Who was Kalhana? Discuss his historical work.
Write a note on the dating systems used by various dynasties in early India.
Write a note on some important historians and their works in medieval Europe.
What are the unique features of history-writing in Arabic in the 10th century?