History

History is a subject of great importance for all the countries and civilizations of the world. History creates value and shapes our life. It is a cognitive process for us to know what had happened on this planet we are living now. History helps us understand who we are and how the mankind reached today high tech world from the ice age. History is the study of past to help look in to the future. History teaches us what is good and what is bad on the basis of the past events. It is very important for all of us know about the holocaust, colonization, slavery or the civil right movements, Cultural Revolution, world wars, Human rights etc. to know and understand the world better. If we ask two ‘How’ and ‘Why’ about anything it will take us back to the history of that thing. This is how importantly history is connected to our present and future. History teaches us the importance of change. The process of conversion of present to past and future to present is what history tries to teach us. Alcoholism was not a very serious problem in the past; it is a serious problem now and expected to be a serious social concern in the future too. When we try to find out a solution for it we must need to know the origin of alcoholism and how is it affecting the society gradually from the past and who is more incline to it. 

Origin of the word History

Like many other social sciences the origin of the word History is found in Greek language. History is derived from the Greek word ‘historia. ’ It means inquiry, knowledge acquired by investigation. Herodotus, the great Greek historian of 5th century is considered to be the father of History. Thucydides, another contemporary Greek historian with Herodotus helped form the foundation for the modern study of human history.

The word ‘History’ is incorporated in the English language in the year 1390. It was used to mean ‘relation of incidents’ or in simple words ‘story’. The meaning “record of past events’ of history is believed to be confined during the late 15th century. The adjective historical and historic is used respectively from 1661 and 1669.

Definition of History

History has been defined in different ways by many historians and social philosophers. Each of the definition has its own importance. Some of them are mentioned below:

"History does nothing, possesses no enormous wealth, fights no battles. It is rather man, the real, living man, who does everything, possesses, fights. It is not History, as if she were a person apart, who uses men as a means to work out her purposes, but history itself is nothing but the activity of men pursuing their purposes." -Karl Marx

"Only a good-for-nothing is not interested in his past." -Sigmund Freud

"To each eye, perhaps, the outlines of a great civilization present a different picture. In the wide ocean upon which we venture, the possible ways and directions are many; and the same studies which have served for my work might easily, in other hands, not only receive a wholly different treatment and application, but lead to essentially different conclusions."-Jacob Burckhardt

"Every past is worth condemning." -Friedrich Nietzsche

"Faithfulness to the truth of history involves far more than a research, however patient and scrupulous, into special facts. Such facts may be detailed with the most minute exactness, and yet the narrative, taken as a whole, may be unmeaning or untrue. The narrator must seek to imbue himself with the life and spirit of the time. He must study events in their bearings near and remote; in the character, habits, and manners of those who took part in them. He must himself be, as it were, a sharer or a spectator of the action he describes."- Francis Parkman

"If you do not like the past, change it." -William L. Burton

"That historians should give their own country a break, I grant you; but not so as to state things contrary to fact. For there are plenty of mistakes made by writers out of ignorance, and which any man finds it difficult to avoid. But if we knowingly write what is false, whether for the sake of our country or our friends or just to be pleasant, what difference is there between us and hack writers? Readers should be very attentive to and critical of historians, and they in turn should be constantly on their guard." –Polybius

History as a discipline

History as a discipline is a part of social science. It is the study of past events. It is also said that history is a philosophy teaching by example. History as a discipline studies these events in a systematic or chronological order. History examines the past and analyses the cause of these events. The difference between History and Story is evidence. Historians ask questions and find evidence about the historical events. It is very important to prove a historical activity to get overall acceptance by the word and so that it can be used for further research in the field. American Historical Association mentioned that History is a never ending process whereby people seek to understand the past and its meaning. The main areas of historical studies are:

Periods

The approach to study history in a time particular time frame helps in systematizing the incidents in an order. Historians give a particular name to each time span of their study so that confusions can be avoided. Names can be based either on the basis of the location or on the basis of the starting and end dates of a particular period.

Geography:

History is also studied from on the basis of a geographical location. Geography and History is closely connected to each other as a discipline. The study of history needs geographical interpretation of many factors in many cases for history to come to a conclusion. To study a particular civilization we should first know about the location of the civilization to understand the history better. The study of history on the basis of geographical location helps historians effectively in their historical research. The areas of study in this category are:

a) World History: This domain of historical studies the 3000 years old history of the world.

b) History of Regions: History is study on the basis of regions of the world. It is a systematic way of understanding the history of each country of the world. Example: History of America, History of India, History of Europe etc.

Some of the other major areas or branches of historical studies are discussed below:

• History of Religion: This is an important area of History and all the countries are equally interested in this field of historical study. History of Religion is a wide area covering from politics to theology.

• Social History: One of the most widely studied area. This area is also known as New Social History. It mainly deals with people and their way of socializing.

• Cultural History: Cultural History is a blend of anthropology and history. It emerged as a distinct area during 1980’s and 1990’s. Cultural history deals mainly with language, popular culture, traditions and cultural interpretation of historical events.

• Economic History: Economic history is the study of economic phenomena in the past .Economic history is now a prominent area of Economics discipline.

• Gender History: Gender History studies the past from the gender perspective. It is now a sub-field of Gender studies.

• Historiometry: It is study of human progress with the help of statistics.

• Military History: It is the study of the history of military warfare, strategies, weapons and psychology.

• Diplomatic History: Diplomatic history is the study of conduct of international players in maintaining international relations. This form of history is gaining maximum popularity in the present scenario.

• Environmental History: This is relatively a new field of historical studies emerged during 1980’s. It studies the history of environment and their influence on mankind.

Importance of History as a Subject

The importance of studying history can best be expressed with reference to the explanation provided by American Historical Association in the essay name “Why Study History?” Below is a brief discussion about it. 

History should be studied because it is essential to individuals and to society, and because it harbors beauty. There are many ways to discuss the real functions of the subject—as there are many different historical talents and many different paths to historical meaning. All definitions of history's utility, however, rely on two fundamental facts. Some of the key benefits of studying History as per AHA are mentioned below:

• History Helps Us Understand People and Societies
• History Helps Us Understand Change and How the Society We Live in Came to Be
• The Importance of History in Our Own Lives
• History Contributes to Moral Understanding
• History Contributes to Moral Understanding
• Studying History Is Essential for Good Citizenship
• History Is Useful in the World of Work
• History develops ability:

a)  The ability assess Evidence

b) The ability to assess Conflicting Interpretations

c) Experience in Assessing Past Examples of change.

Career in History

History is popular and a widely accepted subject all across the world. Almost all the leading universities and educational institutes in the world have included History in to their curriculum. History is a practical subject in terms of learning about people, learning about countries, societies and cultures, learning to locate and shifts facts, and presenting the learning in a way that makes sense to other. The subject therefore empowers a student with multiple skills to go for multitude of careers. 

A student of history can be sure of a rewarding career. The career range is very high for a student of History both in the government and non governmental sector. To name them:

• Professional Historian
• Archaeologist
• Archivist
• Historical Researcher
• Museum Work
• School/College/University Teacher
• Tour Guide
• Publishing
• Broadcaster
• Foreign Service Officer
• International Relations
• Historian
• Information Specialist
• Public Relation Officer
• Communicators
• Librarians
• Record Managers
• Cultural Resource & Historic Preservation Manager
• Heritage Sites/Historic House Management

Pursuing a major or an honors degree in history is a very delightful experience. It gives the students the experience to study as well as research on major cultural, social, economic and political events that took place in the past. After the successful completion of a particular course in history, students gain enough skills to make the ready to grab a job of choice in any organization associated with History. A bachelor's or undergraduate degree helps students gain some junior roles, for instance administrative assistant, management trainee and research assistant. The career opportunities for a history graduates are expected to broaden dramatically if one has a Master's or a doctorate degree as it opens multiple doors of prospect in different research areas.