Ethnohistory

For the journal, see Ethnohistory (journal).

embraces emic perspectives as tools of analysis. The eld

and its techniques are well suited for writing histories of
Native American peoples because of its holistic and inclusive framework. It is especially important because of its
ability to bridge diering frameworks and access a more
informed context for interpretations of the past.

Ethnohistory is the study of cultures and indigenous customs by examining historical records as well as other
sources of information on their lives and history. It is
also the study of the history of various ethnic groups that
The denition of the eld has become more rened over
may or may not exist today.
Ethnohistory uses both historical and ethnographic data the years. Early on, ethnohistory diered from history
as its foundation. Its historical methods and materials go proper in that it added a new dimension, specically the
beyond the standard use of documents and manuscripts. critical use of ethnological concepts and materials in the
source material, as
Practitioners recognize the utility of such source mate- examination and use of historical
[5]
described
by
William
N.
Fenton.
Later, James Axtell
rial as maps, music, paintings, photography, folklore, oral
described
ethnohistory
as
the
use
of
historical and ethtradition, site exploration, archaeological materials, munological
methods
to
gain
knowledge
of the nature and
seum collections, enduring customs, language, and place
causes
of
change
in
a
culture
dened
by
ethnological con[1]
names.
cepts and categories.[1] Others have focused this basic
concept on previously ignored historical actors. Edward
L. Schieelin asserted, for example, that ethnohistory
must fundamentally take into account the peoples own
1 Overview
sense of how events are constituted, and their ways of
culturally constructing the past.[6] Finally, Simmons forAs Michael Harkin argues, ethnohistory was part of the mulated his understanding of ethnohistory as a form of
general rapprochement between history and anthropol- cultural biography that draws upon as many kinds of testiogy in the late 20th century of mid-twentieth-century mony as possible over as long a time period as the sources
social science.[2] In the U.S. the eld arose out of the allow. He described ethnohistory as an endeavor based
study of American Indian communities required by the on a holistic, diachronic approach that is most rewarding
Indian Claims Commission. It gained a pragmatic rather when it can be joined to the memories and voices of livthan a theoretical orientation, with practitioners testifying ing people.[7]
both in favor of and against Indian claims. The emerging methodology used documentary historical sources Reecting upon the history of ethnohistory as research
and ethnographic methods. It was a leader in involv- eld, Harkin has situated it within (1) the broader coning women scholars. By the 1980s the elds geographic text of convergences and divergences of the elds of hisscope extended to Latin America, where archival re- tory and anthropology and (2) the special circumstances
history in North
sources and the opportunities for ethnographic research of American Indian land claims and legal
[8]
American
in
the
middle
20th
century.
were plentiful. It also reached into Melanesia, where recent European contact allowed researchers to observe the
early postcontact period directly and to address important
theoretical questions.

2 See also

Ethnohistory grew organically thanks to external nonscholarly pressures, without an overarching gure or conscious plan; even so it came to engage central issues in cultural and historical analysis. Ethnohistorians take pride
in using their special knowledge of specic groups, their
linguistic insights, and their interpretation of cultural phenomena. They claim to achieve a more in-depth analysis
than the average historian is capable of doing based solely
on written documents produced by and for one group.[3]
They try to understand culture on its own terms and according to its own cultural code.[4] Ethnohistory diers
from other historically-related methodologies in that it

History
Ethnography
William N. Fenton
Ethnic group
James Axtell
1

References

[1] Axtell, J. (1979). Ethnohistory: An Historians Viewpoint. Ethnohistory 26 (1): 34. doi:10.2307/481465.
[2] Michael E. Harkin, Ethnohistorys Ethnohistory, Social
Science History, Summer 2010, Vol. 34#2 pp 113-128
[3] Lurie, N. (1961). Ethnohistory: An Ethnological Point
of View. Ethnohistory 8 (1): 83. doi:10.2307/480349.
[4] DeMallie, Raymond J. (1993). These Have No Ears":
Narrative and the Ethnohistorical Method. Ethnohistory
40 (4): 515538. doi:10.2307/482586. JSTOR 482586.
[5] Fenton, W. N. (1966). Field Work, Museum Studies, and
Ethnohistorical Research. Ethnohistory 13 (1/2): 75.
[6] Schieelin, E. and D. Gewertz (1985), History and Ethnohistory in Papua New Guinea, 3
[7] Simmons, W. S. (1988).
temporary Ethnohistory.
doi:10.2307/482430.

Culture Theory in ConEthnohistory 35 (1): 10.

[8] Harkin, Michael (2010). Ethnohistorys Ethnohistory:

Creating a Discipline from the Ground Up. Social Science History 34 (2): 113128. doi:10.1215/014555322009-022.

External links
American Society for Ethnohistory

EXTERNAL LINKS

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

5.1

Text

Ethnohistory Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnohistory?oldid=694874650 Contributors: Bkonrad, DMG413, SlaveToTheWage,

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5.2

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5.3

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