Generalisation in History
A generalisation is a linkage of disparate or unrelated facts, in time or space, with each other. It is their grouping, their rational classification. Basically, a generalisation is a connection or relationship between facts; it is an ‘inference’ or, as Marc Bloch puts it, ‘an explanatory relationship between phenomena.’ It is the result of the effort to provide an explanation and causation, motivation and effect or impact.
More widely, generalisations are the means through which historians understand their materials and try to provide their understanding of facts to others. Analysis and interpretation of events, etc., is invariably done through generalisations. Generalisation is involved as soon as we perform the two most elementary tasks: classify ‘facts’ or ‘data’ or ‘phenomena’ and compare and contrast them, or seek out similarities and dissimilarities among them, and make any inference from them.
Thus we make a generalisation when we put our facts into a series one after another. For example, when we mention the caste or religion of a leader we are making a generalisation. By connecting the caste and the leader or writer we are suggesting that his or her caste was an important part of his or her personality and, therefore, his or her political or literary work. Or even the mention of his or her age. More comprehensively, a generalisation occurs when we try to understand facts, or make connection between data, objects, events, records of the past through concepts and convey them to others through concepts.
Generalisations may be simple or complex, of low level or of high level.
Low Level: A Low-level generalisation is made when we label a fact or event, or classify it or periodise it.
Middle Level: A middle level generalisation is made when a historian tries to find interconnections among the different elements of the subject under study; for example, when we are studying a segment of the social reality of a time, space or subject bound character.
Wide generalisations or systematising or schematising generalisations: These are made when historians reach out to the largest possible, significant connections or threads that tie a society together. These historians try to study all the economic, political, social, cultural and ecological linkages of a society in an entire era. The historian tries to draw a nation-wide or society-wide or even world-wide picture of these linkages even when he is dealing with a narrow theme.
There can be many sources to generalise our writing such as previous writings, theories of history, society, culture and politics such as those of Marx, Weber and Freud are another major source of generalisation, Careful collection of data and interpretations. Generalisations guide us, they enable us to doubt facts as they appear or as they have been described by contemporaries or later writers; they suggest new possible understanding of old facts; they bring out fresh points and views for confirmation, refutation, further development, further qualification of existing views.
Generalisations help define a student of history’s theme whether in the case of an essay, a tutorial, a research paper or a book. They enable him to take notes – whether from a book, an article, or a primary source. In fact, a student of history’s essay or thesis has to be a series of generalisations to be tested, whether he puts them as statements or questions. Generalisations also enable him to find out which of his notes are significant and relevant to the theme or subject matter of his research.
GENERALISATION IN HISTORY
Generalisation chu hun emaw hmun emaw chhunga a thil thleng, inthlauhna leh inlaichinna chhui leh zawm khawm tihna a ni. A awmziaah chuan thil thleng tak tak inthlungzawmna tihna anih chu. Thil chhui dawn emaw, Marc Bloch-a sawidanin thil thlen chhante,a nghawngte leh a cho chhuaktu chhui tumna atanga irhchhuak a ni.
A awmzia zau zawkah chuan, generalisation chu historians-te’n an thil chhui leh zir an hriatfiahna leh an thil chhuichhuah midangte hriatthiam theih tur an dah hi a ni, thil thleng awmzia sawifiahte leh bung hrang hranga thiat a chhuizauna hmanga tih a ni thin. Generalisation chu thil thleng a bul kan chhui vel leh hian a in tan nghal thin, thil thlengte kan tehkhin a a inan lohna lai tihlan tum a, a in an na leh an lohna te kan thlir a kan chhui dawnna hi a ni.
Generalization chu kan facts neihte a indawt dan a kan chhuizui hian kan siam thin a ni, entirnan hruaitu pakhat chanchina a hnam leh sakhua kan zeh tel hian generalization kan siam a ni. Hruaitu chanchin a a hnam leh sakhuana kan tarlan tel hian a mimal nuna thil pawimawh tak a ni tih kan sawi thawina, a kum zatte a roreldan leh a lehkha thiamna lam kan sawi thawina a ni thei a, kan hriatthiam awlsam dan turin thilthleng kan zawmkhawmna hi a ni.
Generalisation chu awlsam takte, buai hnawk deuhte pawh a ni thei a level hniam deuh emaw level sangte pawh a ni thei a ni.
Low level: Thil thleng kan thliarna leh hunbi a kan thlir hranna hi a ni.
Middle level: Middle level generalization-ah chuan historian-te’n thil thleng hrang hrang a inzawmna a awm leh awm loh an zirchianna a ni.
Wide generalisation-ah chuan historian-te’n a zau thei ang ber a a chhui dawnna, inzawmna thuk lehzual chhuichhuah tumna hi a ni. Heng historian-te hian economic, political, social, cultural leh ecological thila khawtlang inzawmna a awm leh zawm loh hunbi thliarah a awm leh awm loh chhui vekin an chhui chiang thin a ni.
Generalisation hmanrua tam tak a awm thei a, thuziak hluite, history ngaihruatna leh rindan hrang hrang society,culture leh politics-te entirnan Marx-te, Weber leh Freud-te pawh an tel thei ang. Thil thleng uluk taka vawn himte pawh hmanrua pawimawh tak a ni.
Generalization chuan min kaihruaiin, thil thlengte rinhlehnate, mi hrang hrangin an sawidan zirchian chakna te min neihtir a, thil ni theite thlirdan dangte min siamsak thei a ni.
Generalization chuan history zirlaite pawh a puiin, essay emaw tutorial leh research paper leh lehkhabu zirchiang turin a pui thei a, lehkhabu atangte article atangte leh source dang hrang hrang atangte in note la in, a zirnaah a pui nasa thei em em a ni.
* Reference:
1). http://puchistory.blogspot.in/2015/01/generalisation-in-history.html
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