History - A Frame of Reference
History is a Frame of Reference! History is a Matter of Perspective!
History is not neat, solid and objective; but is a subjective and dynamic interpretation of past events viewed from differing perspectives, often with opposing viewpoints. In this frame of reference, our interpretation depends on five factors: the Who, When, Where, What, Why and the How.
The Who
People have different perspectives on the same event.
Their perspectives are influenced by their personal experiences, cultural contexts, biases, prejudices, hopes, insults, and injuries. Even if everything else remains the same, this single factor can create distortions in every individual’s point of view.
The When
Human history, as we know it, goes back anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 years. I am neither an anthropologist nor an archaeologist, so I am probably to be wrong about the exact numbers.
The point I want to make is that every event in human history can be viewed from multiple points in time. Depending on which point of time we choose to view an event from, that choice will colour our perspective.
For example, switching the reference time from 100 years ago to 300 years ago, can change the entire context of the discussion.
The Where
Location matters a lot in history.
The location where the events took place, the place where the person belongs to or grew up, their backgrounds; all these factors affect the understanding that they have about a given issue or event.
As real estate professionals and investors know, it is all about location, location, and location.
The Why
I wondered whether this would be a separate heading, as it is heavily dependent on the preceding three factors & also the most nebulous.
Then I realised that we all have different motivations, and we can never really know what the major actors involved in the event were actually thinking at the time. Even if we have their written thoughts, one can never be sure whether it is an afterthought or an attempt at embellishment.
The motivations behind historical events and actions are also important to consider. These vary from person to person, from past to present, and from the present to the future. Understanding the why can help us explain the how and the what of history.
The What
What actually transpired is often the most contentious aspect of history.
Victors, losers, and bystanders all have their understanding or rather assumptions of what took place. This often is affected by what they wished happened, rather than the plain facts of the matter.
The How
This is based on the winner’s perspective.
History is not just a collection of facts and dates, but a story of how and why.
And storytelling as Yuval Noah Hariri reminds us, is the most important piece of human civilisations. History is shaped by the narratives of those who tell it, and the dominant and longer lasting voices reflect the interests and biases of the winners.
Putting it all together
Stirring together these six factors gets us a complex and diverse picture of history, which is rarely clear or consistent.
It may also lead to frequent and strenuous arguments about who and what is right. We tend to take maximalist positions, without patience to hear out the other’s point of view.
Tribalism is and has always been well & alive amongst the human race; and adherents flocking together and othering purported opponents give us a feeling of comfort.
Finding examples that would not grievously offend one party or the other has been a tough proposition.
So, I will simply let this video by Nina Paley speak for itself, along with its accompanying explainer.
Disclaimers:
This is NOT a commentary on the Israel-Palestine matter, which is far too complex & emotionally charged for an analysis in a short blog post.
I am neither a historian, nor an anthropologist or an archaeologist, nor do I claim to be one.