Page 19 - Balancing between the present and the past

The ability to perform historical contextualization is needed to apply all three types 1 of historical reasoning. First, continuity and change are very difficult to interpret
without considering the historical context of the different periods or historical events
under study. For example, the shift from a preindustrial society to an industrial society
in England in the 18th century can only be explained when the historical contexts of both periods are reconstructed and compared. Second, interpreting the causes and consequences of historical developments and actions of people is not possible when events or actions of people are not placed in a broader historical context. For example, the shot fired by Gavrilo Princip in 1914 loses all meaning when this action is not placed in the context of rising nationalism, alliances, and the imperialism of European countries of the 19th and 20th century. Third, to examine and compare differences and similarities in the past, a historical context of developments and phenomena should first be created. For example, when examining and comparing the concept of trade throughout history, it must be understood that trade within the Roman Empire had a different meaning (e.g., monetary economy, large-scale trading) than trade in the early Middle Ages in Western Europe (e.g., manorialism, self-sufficiency). Teachers should therefore teach students to consider particular policies, institutions, worldviews, and circumstances that shape a given moment in time to identify enduring themes and patterns (Reisman & Wineburg, 2008).
Apart from historical contextualization being considered a key component of historical thinking and reasoning in secondary history education (e.g., Seixas & Morton, 2013; Van Drie & Van Boxtel, 2008) and an essential skill for historians (e.g., Gaddis, 2002; Tully, 1988), it is also considered a possible contributor to instilling democratic citizenship in students. For example, it can provide background and context for democratic debate in post-conflict societies (McCully, 2012) and prepares students to participate in a pluralistic society in which people hold differ opinions (Barton & Levstik, 2004). Moreover, the ability to perform historical contextualization is important in other school subjects, such as in science classrooms when discussing the scientific development of the atomic bomb, in English literature classrooms when discussing Mark Twain’s novel Huckleberry Finn, or in art classrooms where historical contextualization is needed to examine and interpret artworks (e.g., Nikitina, 2006; Pauly, 2003). Furthermore, students in Dutch language classrooms need to consider the historico-literary context when reading and interpreting texts (Witte, 2008).
General introduction
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