August 25, 2007

Generally, it is believed that powerful people are the makers of history. That’s why they are regarded as heroes and great people. This is not entirely correct. Common people also equally contribute to the process of making history. For example, there were artisans and labourers who built great historical monuments; there were simple peasants who cultivated and produced food for everyone; and there were soldiers who fought in the battles and sacrificed their lives for the cause of a ruler or their country. If we look around we find that even today, ordinary people work hard to make society prosperous.

The question, then, is: why have rulers, generals and members of the nobility acquired prominence in history? The answer is that as they had power and wealth, they employed historians to write history in their favour. Otherwise, the fact is that they alone could not have contributed much to the process. Behind them were efforts of ordinary people who made them look great.
 

Do women make history?

When we study history, we find contributions of men who are projected as makers of history. Women are generally ignored and find no dignified place in history. They are largely absent from the process of history because their work and labour are not recognised. Otherwise, if we look in depth, we find that even today women work in fields, cater to animals, engage in domestic duties and look after children.

It is because of women’s work that the male population gets the time to involve itself in social, cultural, political and economic activities. Now, there is also feminist history, in which women are writing their own history with the objective to highlight their achievements and prove that they have equal share in making the history of humankind.

History of things

Historians are trying to make history interesting. They claim that nothing is beyond history and they could write history of everything. That’s why, they are writing the history of perfume, smell, tears, anger, flattery… you name it. They are also researching on things that we use in our daily life.

They also point out how technological inventions are changing our habits. For example, take the wrist watch and see how it regulates our life. It makes us time-conscious. We always watch before doing anything. All our movements in a way are controlled by time. Not only things but all that is around us has a history. In the neighbourhood where we live, in the market were we go shopping, and the family we belong to, all have interesting history to be traced and written.

The modern historian is also looking at the impact of things on our lifestyle. For example, how telephone, radio, television and computer have changed our behaviour and our habits — an interesting topic which requires further investigation.

History and war

Our history record is full of wars. Those who won battles are glorified and their achievements highly praised. However, rarely are results of a war analysed. For example, questions remain such as what happened to their families of those killed in the battlefield. Nothing is written in detail about those who became war prisoners and subsequently slaves or how they felt after loosing their freedom.

War not only destroys villages and cities but also deprives a people of happiness and pleasure. On the contrary, when people are in peace, they enjoy life, sing songs, dance and engage in social and economic activities. This peaceful life changes when war occurs. It always bring along with it a trail of sorrow and misfortunes. Therefore, we must criticise those so-called victors who wrought destruction and misery on the people to achieve their greatness.

History and events

Historians say that it is not correct to record events only. It is equally important to analyse the causes behind the events. It is also essential to see the impact of events on the lives of the people. For example, it is not correct to write that a war took place between two powers. Causes of the war and its impact must be discussed. By knowing the causes, we could understand the process of history and learn a lesson from it.