Authors :
Sujay Rao Mandavillli
Volume/Issue :
Volume 8 - 2023, Issue 8 - August
Google Scholar :
https://bit.ly/3TmGbDi
Scribd :
https://tinyurl.com/yc5p5jyd
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8278587
Abstract :
This is our fifth paper on twenty-first century
historiography. In the first paper, which was published
by us in the year 2015, we had defined and set forth the
core objectives of what we called twenty-first century
historiography. In the second paper published by us in
2016, we had postulated the core principles of twentyfirst century historiography. In the third paper
published by us in 2018, we had had introduced the
concept of Anthropological Historiography wherein we
had sought to integrate history with pre-history and
proto-history much better. In the fourth paper on
qualified historiography published by us in 2022, we had
tried to explain how historiography could be dealt with
in the case of the unreliability and uncertainty of
narratives. In the present paper, we put forward a case
for investigative historiography which can be developed
as a niche area well within mainstream twenty-first
century historiography. The objective of this niche subfield would be to lay bare the tools, techniques and the
scientific methods that could be employed and put to use
in carrying out historical investigations. Some of these
tools and techniques may already exist and may already
be in use, but we put forward new approaches keeping in
mind the overall philosophy of twenty-first century
historiography. Of course, the outputs of investigative
historiography would provide crucial inputs into
mainstream twenty-first century historiography, and
investigative historiography would be an essential cog in
the wheel of historical and scientific research.
This is our fifth paper on twenty-first century
historiography. In the first paper, which was published
by us in the year 2015, we had defined and set forth the
core objectives of what we called twenty-first century
historiography. In the second paper published by us in
2016, we had postulated the core principles of twentyfirst century historiography. In the third paper
published by us in 2018, we had had introduced the
concept of Anthropological Historiography wherein we
had sought to integrate history with pre-history and
proto-history much better. In the fourth paper on
qualified historiography published by us in 2022, we had
tried to explain how historiography could be dealt with
in the case of the unreliability and uncertainty of
narratives. In the present paper, we put forward a case
for investigative historiography which can be developed
as a niche area well within mainstream twenty-first
century historiography. The objective of this niche subfield would be to lay bare the tools, techniques and the
scientific methods that could be employed and put to use
in carrying out historical investigations. Some of these
tools and techniques may already exist and may already
be in use, but we put forward new approaches keeping in
mind the overall philosophy of twenty-first century
historiography. Of course, the outputs of investigative
historiography would provide crucial inputs into
mainstream twenty-first century historiography, and
investigative historiography would be an essential cog in
the wheel of historical and scientific research.
