What Is World History
World History is naturally defined as just that, the study of the world’s past. It is a simple enough definition but like many things in this world can be very easily misunderstood. This misunderstanding perhaps doesn’t arise on purpose but is the result of naïve thinking or ignorance; the world today is becoming a smaller place and yet still with all our advancements, prejudice and misunderstanding still reign over what each of us, within our different backgrounds would consider ‘right’.
The study of world history too has been tainted with such views, and it is the duty of a true historian to consciously repel the desire to make judgments and draw conclusions based on their own internal set of principles or views. Historiography requires a broader and more compassionate approach to the study of our world, the historian must above all else attempt to create theories without bias. (Khaldun, 1967: II, 24)
This however is a very difficult task at best; when exposed to historical education in high school there is little time to delve into and develop less judgmental and more thought provoking types of study. It is instead replaced with students requirements to memorize dates and events and only shallowly study why they did, or could have happened, most likely they will be told, instead of being set tasks to interpret or develop their own thoughts on the subjects under study. A reason for this is naturally time restrictions, but may also be because it is a belief in western culture that children of this age (–18) are not yet mature enough to be exposed to shocking events of the past, another popular reason for censorship of secondary level textbooks is blamed on national shame. (Benedek, 2001:1) With this type of education it is no wonder that until possible tertiary education, that much of history is seen in black and white, this is a shame because it was the ‘them and us’ attitude of some of histories most influential events that...
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