History Program
What is History?
Albert Einstein once said it is more important to have imagination than knowledge. History is a discipline to encourage the imagination. Historians reconstruct past events and experiences through the examination of documents, visual records and material artefacts.This requires imagination as well as knowledge gained from reading and the ability to support their ideas with evidence. The range of sources and possible topics is as endless as human imagination.
Some people see history as the study of the past, but it is more about why and how the past has meaning in the present. Reflecting on the processes of change, and the activities and experiences of people in past times and places, of how men, women and children have made their worlds and may do so in the future, enables us to see contemporary issues in a broader context.
A knowledge of history is the foundation of all that we make as humans. Communities and nations have memories just as people do. Past experiences help shape what nations, societies and communities become. It is important for people living today to know those stories and to recognise the way those memories have become part of culture. History is the study and creation of memories, and of how they are made through the preservation and examination of records, oral traditions and public museums.
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