Wie die Perspektivität unser historisches Denken bestimmt. Ein zeichentheoretisch-kommunikativer Neuansatz

Abstract

How does perspectivity determine our historical thinking and representation? The article addresses this central question by exploring the language-bound processes that enable us to (re)construct the singularity of historical actors’ perspectives based on historical sources. While history didactics still has an image-based understanding of perspectivity based on the paradigm of the »visual«, the study shows, that historical perspectivity cannot simply be mapped in historical context. The study draws on fundamental insights of modern semiotics and communication theory. It makes clear that historical perspectivity can only be methodically explored and presented as a construct of perspectival difference in a given historical context. The study underlines its findings through two qualitative experiments conducted in history classrooms using the writing format of a sourcebased »historical-fictional dialogue«. This allows to investigate the dialogical (re) construction processes of historical actor perspectives and to analyse it in terms of speech act theory.