What is historically significant

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What is historically significant?
Marc Keirstead
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Dimensions of Historical Significance

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• 1. Significance depends on perspective and
• the observers frame of reference.
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• What will be judged to be significant may vary
  depending upon an individuals or groups
  perspective/bias.
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• 2. Significance is more than a matter of personal
  reaction.
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• When determining significance it is not
  sufficient to rely on an individuals or groups
  felt reactions to an event.
• ? Although significance is influenced by ones
  perspective, events that have the greatest felt
  effects are not necessarily the most significant.
  

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• 3. Significance depends on purpose.
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• The significance of an event depends upon its
  role in the larger narrative or story the
  historian is attempting to tell

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• 4. Significance varies with time.
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• The significance of an historical event may not
  be fixed in time but may moderate depending on
  subsequent events and current priorities.

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• 5. Significance depends on context.
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• An event that is significant in one context may
  not be as significant in another context

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The mass demonstrations that unfolded
simultaneously across the globe on the weekend of
February 15-16, 2003 will live in history.-World
Socialist Website
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Challenges in determining significance

• Frame of reference
• Different criteria for events, individuals,
  objects
• Context
• Quality of evidence

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Evidence

• Read a source for evidence vs for knowledge
• Identify type of source
• Identify author and possible frame of reference
• Reveals information about purposes of the author
  as well as authors values
• Needs to be read in historical
• context
• Peter Seixas-http//www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/socs
  tud/foundation_gr8/tns/tn1.pdf

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Criteria for determining significance

• Audience suggests criteria

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Mind Maps
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What is the most significant?-student response

• Medals
• Trench postcard
• Discharge papers
• Pay book
• Christmas card
• Pieces of sons hair
• Thanks from the King
• Dog tags

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Some suggested criteria from Britain

• http//74.125.95.104/search?qcachewekYX4RGOakJw
  ww.history.org.uk/file_download.php3Fts3D1213106
  36226id3D1295iandawsonandhistoricalsignific
  ancehlenctclnkcd1clientsafari

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Partingtons modelWhat makes an
event significant is dependent upon the following
factors Importance to people living at the
time Profundity how deeply peoples lives
were affected by it Quantity how many lives
were affected Durability for how long
peoples lives were affected Relevance the
extent to which the event has contributed to an
increased understanding of present life 
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Christine Counsells modelAn
event/development is significant if they are
- Remarkable it was remarked upon by people
at the time and/or since Remembered it was
important at some stage in history within the
collective memory of a group or groups Resulted
in change it had consequences for the
future Resonant people like to make analogies
with it it is possible to connect with
experiences, beliefs or situations across time
space Revealing of some other aspect of the
past
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Ian Dawsons modelReasons for
a person being significant. If s/hechanged
events at the time they lived.improved lots of
peoples lives or made them worse.changed
peoples ideas.had a long lasting impact on
their country or the world.had been a really
good or a very bad example to other people of how
to live or behave.
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Peter Seixas

• Aspects of Significance
• resulting in change-deep consequences, for many
  people, over a long period of time
• revealing-sheds light on enduring or emerging
  issues in history and contemporary life or was
  important at some stage in history within the
  collective memory of a group or groups
• (Benchmarks of Historical Thinking A Framework
  for Assessment in Canada, 2006)

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Cause and Consequence

• Key elements
• Key role of individuals as
• causal agents
• Causes are related but are
• distinguishable from motivations
• Causes are layered
• Identification of causes by historians can be
  susceptible to historians frame of reference
• Humans cause change but are restricted by the
  natural environment, geography, historical
  legacies
• Actions often have unintended consequences
• Peter Seixas-http//www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/socs
  tud/foundation_gr8/tns/tn1.pdf

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Application-Think Pair, ShareIs the carpet
significant?
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Strategy

• Which event/individual/object was the most
  significant?
• Priorize the events in order of significance
• Which events or individuals will be considered
  significant?

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Why work with the concept?
The past vs history