As a 4000-level course, we will spend some time this semester on understanding the historiography of the Civil War. If you are not familiar with this term (or you are, and you just need a refresher!), historiography is essentially the study of historical writing. Instead of working with primary sources, historiography involves secondary sources only. Dictionary.com gives two definitions, which when combined, are mostly useful: it defines historiography as “the body of literature dealing with historical matters; histories collectively; the body of techniques, theories, and principles of historical research and presentation; methods of historical scholarship.” In short, it is the history of historical study and the important debates occurring in the field. As one author put it, “when we read history, we are reading a particular historian’s encounter with the world.”[1] Typical questions would include: how do historians’ interpretations of this issue differ, and why? What are the current debates driving discussion in the field of Civil War studies? How have our interpretations of the Civil War changed over time, and what factors were most relevant in shaping these revisions? Those are just some examples. So, if I use the term “historiography” or “historiographical” in class, now you know!
[1] Francis G. Couvares, et. al., Interpretations of American History: Patterns and Perspectives, vol. 2 (Boston: Bedford St. Martins, 2009), 1.
HIST4330: Civil War and Reconstruction 