How historians make use of other social sciences - Essay Example

Historians Make Use of Other Social Science Historians are expert in analyzing and learning of past social, economical and political events. The historical learning has helped one to concentrate on actions and on motives of institutions as well as individuals. The subject of history has broad influences. The matter of fact is that the discipline of history comprises of certain other subjects and those subjects are part and parcel of history. For example, one often considers history in context with certain other subject.

If one thinks of political history of any nation, it is actually the combination of history with political science.By tradition and definition, history requires certain written records which can be evaluated and reviewed. Verbal or the oral history often gets lost and the historians or the interested professionals try to understand the history through folklores and myths where there is no written account.History has normally been understood as common memory of the people that provides with the detailed account of the past.

The subject also imprisons shared experiences, values and ideas and helps one to analyze the past to figure out the future ideas, experiences and values. The tools offered by the social sciences are “behind” or “beneath” historical institutions, ideas and events (dimensions of economic change, social inequality, population growth and mobility, social protest, behavior and mass attitude and voting patterns) (Robinson,”History”).As discussed earlier, history is an amalgamation of various other subjects particularly social sciences.

Also, the trend among the historians suggests that the scholars of history have used other disciplines of social science within the periphery of the gamut of history. The scholars of the field often used other related subjects like geography, political science, law and economics in order to analyze the historical events. The scholars of the subject believe that without inculcating other social sciences, historical events cannot be understood in the right and the best spirit. According to the school of thought, one must know about the political happenings or the geographical particulars of any area or person before knowing the history of the person or of the area.

Such inculcation provides wider spectrum and helps a lot to understand the exact scheme of things that had occurred long back.Many of the scholars are of the view that such usage of other social science subjects with in the domain of history is because of the fact that all of the social science subjects are inter – related. As historians use other subjects in their papers, similarly, the scholars of the other disciplines also introduce history in to their paper. Therefore, it can be said that the usage of one discipline of social science in to the research paper of another discipline is quite normal and is part of the game.

The important point that is to be kept into consideration in this regard is the extent of other subjects that is to be inculcated with in the paper. The historians and scholars should ensure that the independence of the subject is maintained and it should not be the case that because of excessive influence of other subjects, the primary discipline is overlooked.ReferenceRobinson, W. C. “History”. May 07, 2010. The University of Tennessee – Knoxville. August, 2007.