Definitions of History

It would be impossible to write a definitive definition of history, especially in a blog post. However, I thought it might be useful to share some definitions and thoughts on "what history is" from a variety of sources. The following definitions, quotes and discussions, make clear that history is connected to the past, but also that the concept of history is complicated and the practice of history even more so.

Dictionary definitions of history are here (Merriam-Webster) and here (Dictionary.com). Note that these entries have at least four definitions for the word history. The least I've ever seen is three. The uses of the word run from a tale or story to the academic pursuit of history.

Quotes from the great and the good about history are here and here. I particularly like the ones by Malcolm X, Frederick Jackson Turner, and Cicero.

The Writing Center at UNC Chapel Hill has a good introduction to academic history here. Another good analysis of history is here at the blog Understanding Society. I particularly like the list of types of questions historians ask and their methods for finding answers.

Issues of historical methodology are discussed here, from UMass Amherst. I think this page does a good job of describing history as "science" and history as "propaganda."

My favorite discussion of what history is, is the book The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the Past by John Lewis Gaddis. He argues is that history is like a map. To make a map of Los Angeles exactly like Los Angeles would be crazy. Instead we make maps to represent certain aspects of a city - like hiking trails, public transportation routes, or highways. Historians do the roughly the same thing with the past; they represent certain aspects of it. There is, of course, more to the book than this argument and I recommend it. It's not "academic" in tone and is aimed at the beginner as well as the professional historian.