What factors influence historiographical trends and why?

Answer 1

The factors that influence historiographical trends can be a all sorts of things, but the thing to keep in mind is the mentality during the time that someone is writing. For example, right after a war, people will try to justify the casualties by writing about the war as if it's a noble cause. Decades later, people may question the futility of war and it's neccessity.

Another thing to keep in mind is the quality and amount of scholars at a time. For example, in the early 20th century, there weren't a lot of professional historians, therefore WW1 literature from that time is largely based on the writings of Generals and Leaders who are writing to add to their legacy or justify their actions. 50 years later when there's thousands of trained historians looking back on the writing, they will likely take issue with what the amateurs have said, and they will certainly have issues with the biases present.

So basically, the factors that influence historiographical trends are who is writing and when they are writing. We all have our own inherent biases that colour the lens we look at events through, and this ultimately impacts our writing.

Answer 2

Factors that influence historiographical trends include advances in technology, new archival discoveries, changing social and political attitudes, and shifts in academic methodologies. These factors can lead to reevaluations of existing historical narratives, the emergence of new perspectives, and the incorporation of previously marginalized voices. Additionally, historiographical trends are also shaped by the cultural and intellectual climate of their time, as well as the agendas and motivations of historians themselves.