Origins of History Interpretation: An Academic Introduction
The modern study of history relies on interpretation of evidence to create meaningful narratives of the past. Interpretation of historical evidence has been an essential tool for historians since the time of the ancient Greeks and it has developed and been refined over the centuries. In the 19th century, German historian Leopold von Ranke revolutionized the field of historical research with his insistence on using primary sources as the basis for a historian’s work. The 20th century saw the emergence of various theories, including Marxism, structuralism, and postmodernism, all of which argued for an interpretation of the past that both acknowledged and challenged existing narratives. History interpretation today demands a nuanced understanding of multiple sources of evidence and the ability to draw connections between them to form complex, interpretive stories.
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