Historical Research Topic
Historical Research Topic
Historical Research Topics - The choice of historical research topics is sometimes a serious problem for a historical researcher. It is not uncommon that some historical researchers, especially novice researchers, have problems in determining the topics to be studied. Because of course in determining the topic of historical research, it is necessary that someone must have something that can be considered as requirements that are not written down to be possessed by a historical researcher.
Some things that need to be considered by a history researcher include practical skills in articulating and expressing historical events which of course need to be realized that history is very closely related to rhetoric. This kind of ability is certainly obtained by someone from various things such as scientific background, abilities and attitudes towards the development of science, especially historical science. Behind the complexity, of course, there are several things that one needs to pay attention to in choosing a topic for research, including as described by Wood Gray (1956); (1) value; (2) authenticity; (3) practicality; and (4) unity. Below will be described about what has been described by Gray;
a. value (value)
In the topic it must be able to provide an explanation of something meaningful and in the sense of a universal, aspect of human experience. Perhaps through a case study approach or by demonstrating its relationship to the larger movement. Much depends on the handling. The biography of an obscure character or the story of a small community will have meaning if it is linked to major events and is judged as representative of broad developments. On the other hand, genealogy and antiquarianism are useful to historians but they are not history.
Based on this explanation, it can be taken an understanding that matters relating to human experience and related to the movement of the currents of great change in human life can be used as research topics. It also includes the biography of a historical figure, whether related to the "theory of the great man" or not, if its existence and role is related to a phenomenon in the flow of change in human life, it can be used as a topic of historical research.
b. Authenticity (originality)
If the selected subject has been studied in previous research, it must be ensured that a historical researcher can display;
(1) Substantial and significant new evidence, or a;
(2) A new interpretation of valid and demonstrable evidence.
Based on the points above, it is appropriate for a historical researcher if the theme he wants to discuss has been studied in previous studies in the sense that there are other people who have studied the same theme; then it should be able to display something different. Different in the sense of using a point of view, approach and of course with a different interpretation from previous research.
c. Practicality
A historical researcher in choosing a research topic must pay attention to practical values, as outlined in the points below:
1) The existence of sources that can be obtained without any irrational difficulties. There is also a guarantee that you can use those resources without the owner or custodian of those resources trying to censor, cutting off some of the conclusions that can be drawn.
2) The ability to properly use these sources based on the background or education of a researcher, including mastery of foreign languages and certain other technical requirements.
3) The scope of the research. The scope of the topic chosen must be in accordance with the medium to be presented, for example whether it is for papers, classes, seminar reports, articles, theses, dissertations or books.
d. Unity (Unity)
Every research, not only history, must have a unified theme, or at least be directed to a unanimous question or proposition, which will give the researcher a point to start from, a direction forward to a certain goal, as well as a hope or promise that will lead to conclusions. special one.
Those are four things that need to be considered in the selection of historical research topics. A historian or a history writer usually never does a research that really starts from scratch. The topics that they choose to research are generally known beforehand even though they are only in outline, not deep, or even vague. Because of that, a historian or a history writer conducts a research.
The research carried out is not only answering a number of basic descriptive and narrative questions such as what, who, where, and when, but furthermore fundamental, namely the answers to analytical and critical questions, namely the how and why questions.
The basic or initial knowledge of a historian about a topic, theme, issue, problem, event, period, individual, or figure, community or society has been obtained from reading articles and history books, even oral statements, all of which are sources. -second, third, or more sources. But what he didn't know, and so he did his own historical research - was how the first sources actually accounted for.
From the initial knowledge based on the material he has read or studied, a historian can rearrange a number of new questions, new hypotheses or a new interpretation for his research, all of which will be tested in in-depth research based on the first sources. The result is a number of possibilities that can strengthen, correct, or completely change previous opinions on the topic under study. Therefore, historical sources are very important for a historian in conducting historical scientific studies.
Meanwhile, if it refers to the understanding given by Kuntowijoyo, the topic of historical research would be better chosen based on: (1) emotional closeness; and (2) intellectual affinity. Below will be explained the meaning of these two things:
(1) Emotional Closeness
Emotional closeness becomes a very important consideration if someone wants to write history. Emotional closeness can make the work of a history researcher easier in terms of gathering resources as well as moral support. For example, if someone comes from an area (village or city) which by chance no one has ever written about the history of the area, then it is very likely that he will get conveniences, especially in collecting historical sources. The historical sources that he can get include sources in the form of regional archives and oral statements that can be given by authorized officials or by influential people.
(2) Intellectual Proximity
Someone who has read topics that have an emotional closeness to him (such as his own area). Of course, if he is interested in, for example, rural and urban areas, he has read books related to rural areas, farmers, land, rural geography, urban geography, urban and rural economics, labor society, political economy and so on. In this way he can map regional problems.
However, it should be underlined that someone who writes history is more concerned with the involvement of his emotional closeness than his intellectual ability to be influenced by emotions. So history turns into a trial. In fact, history is an empirical science that must avoid subjective judgments. The emotional closeness must be admitted honestly so that people who read historical writings can open the distance.
So those are the things that need to be considered in choosing a historical research topic. Various considerations are very necessary for a historian and a history writer in conducting historical research so that he is not trapped by mere subjectivity.