One question that a Social Science teacher often faces at the hands of students is that of the ‘relevance’ of History –kings, treaties, pacts, timelines, dates, etc, etc, etc. For them it is a seemingly irrelevant, never ending cauldron of facts and figures. And how can one best answer about the relevance of something that is eternally pertinent, for one can’t live the present or step into the future without knowing about the past.
The famous British historian, Thomas Carlyle, said, ‘The whole past is a procession of the present’. So, I smile when I see the young generation raving about the genius of the current government when it exhibits its dominance in its recent face off with arch rivals. How is the genius manifested? The answer lies in the knowledge of history.
To understand the contemporary world better, it is fundamental to understand the root of everything. History is inescapable. It studies the past and the legacies of the past in the present. All people are living history. Each one of us has inherited genetic template from our past which has helped us evolve with time. The regional continuity model of evolution also suggests that whatever we are at present is because of our ancestors and the evolution process. Therefore, history introduces us with ourselves. In simple words, all living people live in here and now, but it is history which brought us to this NOW.
Just to learn about ‘today’ makes us half knowledgeable. Nothing is created in a spur of moment. Societies, language, culture, traditions and religions, all which matter in our life, have been created in the past. Even technology, which is now our best friend also was invented somewhere by someone. Therefore, knowledge of history is paramount to relate to the present.
Study the past if you would define the future – Confucius. The reasons for the social, economic and political turmoil and upheavals across the world can be better diagnosed by studying the root cause of the problem which can be found in history. And the cures also can be sought from the past.
History itself is a blanket term that covers a lot of different areas of study. It helps in the study of philosophy, political science, genetics and even the natural sciences. Old theorems have to be understood to discover new ones. All the principles and theories of science based on facts, knowledge of how these principles evolved, can be found and studied in history.
History is intimately correlated to geography. In the 1950s, the two subjects were taught together. History stresses on time and geography emphasises on space in the context of time. History can serve as a good basis for arousing interest in geographical studies, while geographical facts are taken into consideration while explaining historical facts.
History gives root to political science as well. The development of political institutions, rules, rights and duties, laws and mode of justice, the role of executive, legislature in a democracy, nature of bureaucracy, fundamental principles are all defined under Constitutional history. The present day political scenario of cold war, political disturbances, disarmament can be better understood if we understand the root cause of them.
History is a study of the journey of humanity, through time in all its various facets.
I completely agree with the statement of Robert Penn, ‘History cannot give us a programme for the future, but it can give us a fuller understanding of ourselves, and of our common humanity, so that we can better face the future.’
REFERENCE:
November 29, 2016.Why History.The Progressive Teacher.retrieved from
