Historical Methodology Research Articles

A Study on Punya Lekhana Tradition in Sri Lanka: with reference to Kandyan Era

From the ruler to the ordinary citizens, the documents that record the meritorious deeds can be called 'Punya Lekhana'. The history of writing these documents can be traced back to time immemorial. The primary influence of these writings was the belief in meritorious acts of man, and the ideas and ideologies on good deeds and as shaped up by tradition. The aim of this research was to study the charity writing tradition in Sri Lanka and the research question was whether this tradition continued during the Kandyan Period. Historical methodology was applied for this research. It seems that the idea of keeping a record of the merits done by oneself started at the beginning of the Kandyan era, and 'Punya Lekhana' was compiled to record the merits done by the king and the ordinary people. It was a custom to prepare and keep the most common pious writings written in a temple using palm leaf medium as an appendix to a palm leaf manuscript or as a palm leaf manuscript. Since there are charitable documents of various natures, classification is possible according to their nature. These are Punyanumodhana Patra, Pundyanumodhana Sandesa, Punya Pustaka and Punya Ayadeum Patra. It is evident that these charity writings can be useful to genealogists to obtain information on genealogy. However it can be said that these documents were not been used as primary sources in historical research. This study underlines the fact that these are a unique source of literature in studying the religious, political and socio-economic history of the kandian Period.

Shift in the Use of River Transportation to Land Transportation in Banjarmasin City 2000-2020

The river transportation in Banjarmasin City is experiencing a shift where people prefer to use land transportation over river transportation. This is happening due to several driving factors causing the community to abandon river transportation. As Banjarmasin City is dubbed as the city of a thousand rivers, this contrasts with the abandonment of river transportation. This writing aims to understand the reasons behind the shift from river transportation to land transportation for the people of Banjarmasin City. The method employed in this research is historical methodology, which involves four stages: heuristic, comprising the collection of historical sources such as data, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography. The research findings indicate several causes for the decline in river transportation usage, leading the community to shift to land transportation. These include river narrowing, construction of excessively low bridges, and accumulation of waste on the river surface, which hinder the speed of river transportation flow.

BERZIARAH KE MAKAM SYEKH YUSUF AL-MAKASSARI

The study investigates the implications of undertaking a pilgrimage to the tomb of Syekh Yusuf Al-Makassari, whose significant contributions have profoundly shaped Islamic thought and civilization. Following his passing, his burial site has become a crucial destination for pilgrims, leading to socio-economic effects on the surrounding community. Employing historical methodologies within a socio-economic framework, the research aims to elucidate the socio-economic conditions of the community surrounding Sheikh Yusuf Al-Makassari's tomb. Recognized as a pivotal figure and scholar in Indonesian history and beyond, Sheikh Yusuf's enduring influence is evident through the influx of pilgrims from diverse regions to his gravesite, highlighting his ongoing societal significance. The findings of this study reveal various social and economic aspects, including the financial status of the local population, employment opportunities, and microeconomic dynamics.

Dialogue as a Counterextremism Policy: Lessons from the History of Early Islam—The Kharijites vs. the Authority

precis: Governments worldwide have made it a priority to combat religious extremism, resulting in various disciplinary and soft-power policies. This study focuses on dialogue as an effective way to counter and prevent religious extremism, using the Kharijites (the first extremist faction that mutinied against the caliphal authority) as a case study. Historical methodology is used to collect data, and a critical analysis is conducted using inductive and deductive methods to draw conclusions and insights for a proposed dialogue model. The essay argues that military power is ephemeral and sometimes counterproductive, so the emphasis should be on a long-lived "mind power." Further, given the embedded nature of religious underpinnings of extremists' ideologies, the study highlights seven key terms that form the foundation of the three-level dialogue model.

Reconsidering Early Modern Jewry: Reflections on the Methodology of Legal History

Reconsidering Early Modern Jewry: Reflections on the Methodology of Legal History

Hungary and Refugee: From Historical to Legal Development

Abstract In 2015 refugee crisis, Hungary’s strict border controls and legal reforms drew international criticism, straining EU relations. This article employs the qualitative legal historical methodology to investigate the historical dynamics underpinning Hungary’s shifting refugee policies. The analysis uncovers a significant shift in Hungary’s approach to refugees. Following World War I, the Trianon agreement, which led to territorial loss and population displacement, posed migration challenges that Hungary addressed on a case-by-case basis. Furthermore, after 1989, Hungary aligned its legal systems with international standards. It ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention, marking the first official regulation of refugees under Decree 101. In 2007, upon EU accession, Hungary enacted the Asylum Act 2007, aligning it with the Dublin regulation and relevant EU directives, which formed the foundation for refugee crisis legislation in 2015. The study also examines the 2011 constitutional amendment, indirectly creating sociocultural barriers between Hungarian society and refugees.

Refleksje o podręczniku metodologii historii (Wprowadzenie do metodologii historii, red. nauk. Ewa Domańska, Jan Pomorski, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa 2022, ss. 572)

Reflections on a methodology of history textbook (Wprowadzenie do metodologii historii, ed. Ewa Domańska, Jan Pomorski, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warsaw 2022, 572pp) The article is a critical analysis of selected issues examined in Wprowadzenie do metodologii historii (Introduction to the Methodology of History), edited by Ewa Domańska and Jan Pomorski, Warsaw 2022. The reviewer focuses on general methodological and epistemological issues, believing that the authors of the various chapters pay too little attention, for the most part, to the relation between the methodology of history and general methodology. The discussion concerns the history of historiography, the role of history in the emergence of the humanities, the dispute over the status of history in the nineteenth century, particularly nomothetism and idiographism in the light of Auguste Comte’s classification of sciences compiled in France and their division as seen by Wilhelm Windelband and Heinrich Rickert, proposed in Germany, as well as explanation in historiography. With regard to that last point, deductive-nomological and genetic explanations are considered. Attention is drawn to the problematic nature of the application of the classic pattern of deductive-nomological explanation in connection with the problem of universal laws and historical theories (more generally – concerning the social sciences), as well as to the differences in the understanding of causality in historiography and theoretical natural sciences, which is relevant to the analysis of the genetic explanation. In the final section of the article the author points to the link between the approach to historical cognition and general problems of epistemology.

Teoria nie jest dla amatorów. Hugo Merlo rozmawia z Estêvão De Rezende Martins

In this interview, Professor Estêvão de Rezende Martins, an emeritus professor at the University of Brasilia, discusses his intellectual journey and research interests in the theory, philosophy, and methodology of history and historiography. The conversation delves into the development of historical thinking and consciousness, exploring how human existence is inherently historical and how individuals relate to their experiences through cognitive operations and historical culture. Moreover, the interview explores the evolution of the theory of history in Brazil, emphasising the shift from the speculative reflections of the philosophy of history to the meth-odological rigour of the theory of history or epistemology of history. The role of academic historiography in the face of contemporary challenges, such as the recognition of non‑human or post‑human planetary agencies, is also addressed. Martins discusses the diversification of his-toriography and its autonomy in exploring previously neglected topics, along with the need for historical education to empower individuals to think independently and critically in our border-less, globalised world. Ultimately, the interview sheds light on the ongoing theoretical experi-mentation in the field of history and the potential impact on historiographical practice in the future.

„Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem” (Wprowadzenie do metodologii historii, red. nauk. Ewa Domańska, Jan Pomorski, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa 2022, ss. 572)

Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem (Wprowadzenie do metodologii historii, ed. Ewa Domańska, Jan Pomorski, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warsaw 2022, 572pp) In my polemical review I focus on the conceptual apparatus of the textbook, subjecting it to some fundamental criticism. I analyse the vision of the methodology of history presented in the textbook and its relation to research practices in academic historical science.I critically examine, for example, the concepts of myth, language and paradigm discussed in the textbook. In addition, I point to the errors relating to the history of historiography and methodology.

Komu metodologię? Komu? Czyli o ornitologach i ptakach (Wprowadzenie do metodologii historii, red. nauk. Ewa Domańska, Jan Pomorski, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa 2022, ss. 572)

Who wants methodology? Who? Or on ornithologists and birds (Wprowadzenie do metodologii historii, ed. Ewa Domańska, Jan Pomorski, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warsaw 2022, 572pp) The article is a critical analysis of a methodology of history textbook. The author questions the concept of the book as an academic textbook, the understanding of the concept of the methodology of history presented in it, and selected chapters on specific issues. Attention is drawn to the conceptual disorder in almost all parts of the book and the low substantive quality of most of the pieces included in it.

On the Historical Evolution of the Northern League in Italy

In 2018, Italy’s newly formed government, which included the far right League, raised concerns among European political and financial elites. The international press portrayed the parties that won the elections as the (Eurosceptic) barbarians ready to besiege the city walls of Rome. In this article, I argue that hard-line anti-immigration policies were their most visible characteristic. In particular, I demonstrate that the League’s xenophobic approach was not new, as its precursors already promoted discrimination, and that the party moved from regionalism to the far right side of the political spectrum. I also question the party’s recent national(ist) shift, which seems to have been made uncritically and for pragmatic, electoral reasons. The article thus contributes to the history of the far right since the 1980s while demonstrating the usefulness of a historical methodology for scholars from other disciplines who work on right-wing prejudice.

Structure and meaning in strategic paradoxes: Exploring historical context in the emergence of agrifood standards

This paper uses a historical case study of the emergence of a set of agrifood standards to explore the historical development of strategic paradoxes. The paper demonstrates the value of historical methodologies of ‘zooming in and out’ for understanding the contexts in which paradoxical organisational structures develop over time. We explore the evolution of a significant strategic paradox, showing how changing relations between UK poultry producers and food retailers led to the emergence of a fundamental innovation in agrifood standards. The paper contributes to paradox theory by developing a historically rooted analysis of how context—which we theorise as simultaneously structurally determinative and cognitively malleable—can explain why organisational actors come to ‘live with’ a paradoxical dynamic equilibrium in which dialectical power relations remain embedded.

Female chamber vocal cycle of the 1960s–1970s and the “new folk wave”. Part 1. In search of intonational authenticity

The subject of the study is the chamber and vocal work of Soviet composers of the 1960s–1970s, the works of the undisputed leaders of the young post-war generation of musicians from the “sixties”. The author of the article studies the neo-folklore searches and experiments of R. Shchedrin, B. Tishchenko, S. Slonimsky, V. Gavrilin, E. Denisov, which became the most important component of the significant artistic movement “new folklore wave”. During these years, there was a peculiar accumulation of outstanding sample compositions, striking in their originality and brightness, new recording techniques, and the authors’ extremely conscientious attitude towards original materials collected in conservatory folklore expeditions. At the turn of the 1960s, the chamber-vocal cycle took leading roles in the work of many Soviet composers and Russian music in general. Vocal compositions, with their inherent versatility, capable of flexible modifications, turned out to be a fertile area for the creative efforts of musicians of different generations. The article uses the following scientific research methods: comparative analytical, structural and functional, as well as cultural method. The author of the article uses literary-textual and musical-textual methods for research, and also relies on the fundamental provisions of general historical methodology, in particular, sociocultural, historical-chronological, and biographical. The main conclusion of the study is the idea that the chamber-vocal works of the “new folklore wave” have a “female face”, since most of them were written for performance by female voices. Folk melody and rhythm, a lively intonation environment, the direct emotionality of folklore became not only a kind of “counterweight” to sophisticated avant-garde techniques in the music of the second half of the twentieth century, but the most important component of the composer’s language and even thinking, and sometimes the main support of creative expression. The author for the first time deeply and fully explores the “female” vocal cycle of the 1960s–1970s, those works that are associated with the unique and powerful artistic movement “new folk wave,” a phenomenon that was at the forefront of the radical renewal of Russian music in the second half of the twentieth century.

Exploring Family Care Journeys to Inform Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder and Somatic Symptom Disorders

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) and gastrointestinal (GI)-related somatic symptom and related disorders (SSRDs) commonly co-occur, and both are associated with confusion in the process of accessing treatment. Furthermore, health professionals report low confidence in providing care for these conditions. Using a life history methodology, we explored the journeys of children and their parents with the diagnosis and treatment of ARFID and/or SSRDs and examined themes in barriers and facilitators to care. Six families with children (4 boys and 2 girls; 8–14 years old) with a diagnosis of ARFID and/or GI-related SSRD were recruited from a pediatric tertiary-level hospital. Interviews were conducted with four parents alone, and two parent-child dyads. Participants provided rich histories of the child’s health journeys with variation in the development of ARFID and GI-related SSRDs and subsequent management. Diagnostic uncertainty, the emotional impact of this journey on families, and systemic barriers to accessing treatment were themes of the healthcare narratives. Validating the emotional impacts of the healthcare journey and building trust may be helpful to address the diagnostic uncertainty that families experience. Strategies to support adaptation of cognitive-behavioral approaches for with children with complex ARFID and/or SSRDs are discussed.

‘Sick Hands, Thin and White, Were Always Slipping Offerings across My Windowsill, Offerings for the Little Birdlings’: Multispecies Encounters within and around Modern Rural British Sanatoria

The use of ‘open-air’ as a therapeutic agent in sanatoria, hospitals, and schools in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries led to the development of specific material features associated with modern design. By taking a sensory history approach which intersects with architectural and medical history methodologies, this article will use patient memoirs and oral histories of British experiences to explore multispecies encounters, particularly with birds, both within and around these clinical institutions. Medical concepts which prioritised the importance of fresh air and sunshine for prevention as well as therapeutic purposes led to architectural and design interventions for rural hospital buildings that encouraged windows and doors to be kept open at all times, as well as the construction of balconies and terraces onto which patients could be wheeled. This lack of firm architectural boundaries caused tensions for medical staff as it led to potentially unwanted ‘germ-laden’ species, such as birds and mice, to cross the institutional threshold into the clinical ‘germ-free’ interior. In turn, and often in contradiction to the concerns of medical staff, these multispecies interactions were sometimes able to co-produce a valuable sensory experience for patients, perhaps occasionally mitigating the difficulties and challenges of the modern, clinical setting.

US-IRAN: Between Confrontation and Reconciliation

The US policy towards Iran is a part and parcel of its broader policy towards the Middle East and the Arabian (Persian) Gulf in particular. Most of the American targets, whether in the Middle East or Asia, are related to Iran, due to its possession of the military and geostrategic location that qualifies it to be an influential regional power in the future. Iran represents one of the challenges facing the United States, prompted the latter to deal with it according to constants and determinants, regardless the various US administration, which aimed at containing Iran and eliminating the threat that it could impose on its interests in the region.The paper aims to identify the position that Iran occupies in the strategy of the United States of America and to clarify the determinants of American foreign policy, which highlight the points of convergence and divergence in the US-Iranian relations. A special attention is given to the nuclear file and sanctions that are considered as the factors affecting the domestic political and economic situation, as well as Iran’s foreign policy. The authors adhere to the theories of the balance of power and regional security complexes, the principle that the foreign policy of a state is dictated by the logic of the international system and the distribution of force among states. The structural and systemic approach, as well as the historical methodology are used in order to formulate idea about the past and present of Iranian-American relations.

Evgenia Vladimirovna Gutnova as a Historiographer of the English Medieval Parliament: The Anglo-American Research Perspective

This article considers the Anglo-American historiography of the early English parliament based on the extensive contribution and heritage of Evgenia Vladimirovna Gutnova (1914–1992), an outstanding Soviet and Russian medievalist and historiographer. E.V. Gutnova was a pioneer and groundbreaker in the historical and historiographical study of the English state and medieval parliamentarism during the 13th–14th centuries. Through her work, she expanded the pool of historiographical sources available to the scientific world. This vast collection included the fundamental works on the English constitutional history of the Middle Ages published by major historians of England and the USA in the middle of the 19th–the first half of the 20th centuries. She performed a detailed analysis of their concepts of the English medieval parliament by comparison of the Whig-liberal (W. Stubbs) and “critical” (F.W. Maitland) models in line with the Marxist methodologies of history. Here, based on the historical-genetic and -comparative methods, along with historical analysis and synthesis, E.V. Gutnova’s role in the study of the early English parliamentarism within the Anglo-American historiography was defined. The conclusion is made that she developed and introduced an innovative historiographical concept, which has become a widely used algorithm for research in the field of foreign history of historical science, with the Anglo-American historiography of early parliamentarism in England as its integral part.

Deconstructing The Conundrum in the Historiography of Acephalous Societies in Nigeria 1900-1990

An ambivalent appellation, acephalousness or non-centrality led to misinterpretations of the political systems and structures of Nigerian societies that obviously were not as professionalized as those in the erstwhile Empires and Emirates. Yet, the acephalous societies had political structures as much as the centralized ones. From the times of David Hume, Friedrich Hegel through to Hugh-Trevor Roper, African history faced distortions; and presented as unworthy of any kind of academic study. This was, unarguably, a crop-up from a Eurocentric misperception and misconception whereof Africa became labelled the “Dark Continent: waiting to be discovered by Europeans. Seemingly a justification of the colonization of Africa, African historians, nonetheless, became challenged to the best approaches in writing her history. Another challenge was the misconception that documentation or written history was the only acceptable history. Arab/Muslim scholars effectively covered the socio-political and economic activities in the centralized societies where they found employment as scribes or chroniclers. This study, first, attempted grasping at the contents, perspectives and methodology of African history; second, it examined the challenges inherent in the study of acephalous or stateless societies and, third, provided ample ways of addressing the challenges. The findings revealed that beyond written documents, oral traditions and the application of the interdisciplinary research approach were integral and indispensable parts in the historiography of African societies, especially of the acephalous. Using the primary and secondary sources, the study concluded that in spite of the limitations of oral traditions, they remained indispensable in interrogating the history of acephalous societies.

Philosophical conceptions and theoretical foundations of historical anthropology as a modern philosophy of history forming

The article analyzes the impact of methodological approaches of philosophical thought on the formation of historical anthropology as a modern philosophy of history. The methodology of this work is based on the principles of complementarity, structure, and dialogue. In the study of labor problems, methods were involved: philosophical hermeneutics, systemic- structural, interdisciplinary. Historical anthropology as a version of the philosophy of history, which explores the mental- cultural plane of causes, the essence of historical processes and their possible projection into the future, has a significant potential for understanding the global social- cultural dynamics in past eras through philosophical- historical concepts. An important condition for the implementation of this scientific task is the analysis of the formation of the theoretical foundations of historical- anthropological dimensions of philosophical- historical thought. The study of the specified problem field is based on the study of the philosophical theories of R. G. Collingwood, K. Lévi- Strauss, and M. Foucault. The main ideas of R. G. Collingwood, which are important for the formation of the concepts of historical anthropology as a modern philosophy of history, include the understanding of the philosophical potential of historical thought; the need to combine philosophical concepts and historical methodologies; the importance of understanding the mental and cultural horizon of the past through the philosophy of history. Among the factors influencing the structuralist concepts of K. Lévi- Strauss on the formation of the theoretical foundations of historical anthropology as a modern philosophy of history, it is possible to single out the analysis of mythological elements of perception of the world by proto- societies; identification and studies of unconscious components of psychology and culture of societies of the specified type, implementation of scientific interactions of historical knowledge and ethnology. Important concepts of M. Foucault, which influenced the formation of theoretical approaches of historical anthropology as a modern philosophy of history, includes the analysis of unconscious elements of the psyche of societies in different eras of the past; understanding the phenomenon of «otherness» in history; study of mental representations in European society about mental illnesses; research on the understanding of the phenomenon of madness in Western European art; studies of the mentality of doctors in the Early Modern Time. The theoretical foundations of historical anthropology as a modern philosophy of history, which were formed under the influence of philosophical concepts, include the ontological, epistemological and axiological planes. The ontological plane is manifested in the formation of the problem field of historical- anthropological studies, the mental- cultural horizon of the past. Its composition includes: analysis of the subconscious foundations of psychology and mythological systems of proto- societies and early- historian societies; understanding the communities’ perception of the specified types of various socio- cultural phenomena, in particular diseases and means of treatment; the attitude of societies to certain social groups, in particular to doctors; analysis of the perception of political power and the mechanisms of formation of its social- psychological foundations. The epistemological plane is revealed in the formation of historical- anthropological concepts of methods of analysis of deep, unconscious aspects of the psychological and cultural dimension of past eras; effective application of an interdisciplinary approach in the analysis of mental phenomena and social behavior; realization of cognitive interaction of methodological approaches of ethnology and historical anthropology. The axiological plane consists in stimulating the spread in the understanding of the mental- cultural horizon of historical processes of the values of humanism, pluralism and the equality of cultures and civilizations of the past and the present; dialogue of various cultures, worldview systems and intellectual traditions.

History of the Children of Israel Between the Noble Qur’an and the Book of Exodus

The second book of the Pentateuch is called Exodus, from the Greek word for “departure,” because its central event was understood by the Septuagint’s translators to be the departure of the Israelites from Egypt. Its Hebrew title, Shemoth (“Names”), is from the book’s opening phrase, “These are the names….” Continuing the history of Israel from the point where the Book of Genesis leaves off, Exodus recounts the Egyptian oppression of Jacob’s ever-increasing descendants and their miraculous deliverance by God through Moses, who led them across the Red Sea to Mount Sinai where they entered. This article attempts to study the historical aspect of the Book of Exodus compared to the Noble Qur’an, adopting the comparative historical methodology.