Histopriography and the Empire: A Historiographical Analysis

Abstract

Abstract Historiography “The History of History”. This study aims to explore how historical works is influenced by historiographical traditions and concepts. In order to explore this, two empirical works were selected covering the same period of time in British Empire history. The older was the Cambridge History of the British Empire: Growth of the new Empire, published in 1940, the newer the Oxford History of the British Empire: The Twentieth Century, published in 1999. The aim of this thesis is to examine how two historical works covering the same historical period are different because of the different eras of their publishing, and to answer the question: Which stories are told about British colonial enterprise in these two books, and how does the historical selection vary based on different historiographical traditions and historical writings changing relationship towards objectivity and content? The background for such a selection is the Imperial History ́s interesting history as a debated and criticised field. Through historiographical theory, and the methods of qualitative document analysis and comparative analysis, similarities and differences were explored in content, selection, concepts, and historiographical traditions influencing each work.