What does historiography mean?
Historiography is the study of history as a written and interpretative practice. It examines how historians select evidence, construct narratives, explain causation, and represent people and events in the past. The term can also refer to a particular tradition of historical writing, such as revisionist, feminist, Marxist, or postcolonial historiography. In an academic setting, it often concerns the development of different interpretations of the same subject over time. A historian may study an event or period, while a scholar of historiography studies the ways in which historians have written about that event or period. The word is therefore especially useful for understanding that historical accounts are not simply records of the past but interpretations shaped by evidence, methods, and historical context.
nounThe study of how history is written, including the methods, theories, sources, and conventions used by historians. It may also refer to a particular body or school of historical writing.
- The study of the writing, interpretation, and methods of history.
- A particular body or tradition of historical writing.
"Her work examines the historiography of the French Revolution and the changing ways it has been interpreted."
"Recent scholarship has transformed the historiography of the nineteenth-century working class."
"The book provides a clear introduction to historiography and the changing character of historical evidence."
Plural is used when referring to different bodies or traditions of historical writing, or to the writings of several historiographical schools.
"The histories compare competing historiographies of the Roman Republic."
Historiography asks a deceptively simple question: who gets remembered, who gets left out, and how does the story change over time?
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does historiography come from?
Historiography comes from Greek historia, meaning “inquiry” or “history,” combined with the Greek suffix -graphia, meaning “writing” or “description.” Its formation reflects the development of history as a subject concerned not only with the past but also with the writing and interpretation of the past. It is related to history, historian, historic, and historical, all of which share the same basic historical root.
Related word forms
How historiography is actually used
This is a formal academic term, used especially in history, literary studies, and the humanities. It usually refers to the study or critical analysis of historical writing rather than to history itself.
Easily confused with historiography
History is the study or account of past events, whereas historiography is the study of how such events have been written and interpreted.