History’s Comparative Objectivity
Before, history was the image with opposite black and white. When studying history in middle school and high school, I have never doubted history textbooks’ veracity. I simply took down notes from the history teacher’s explanations and memorized specific historical events’ times and significance. There are always some great figures in history that changed that period’s history and kept influencing their descendants. I was asked to memorize and even write from the memory all the details of thoes great people’s great achievements. When learning about wars and politics, I was briefly told one party represented the just and the other represented the injustice. At that time, I did not have the ability to think critically and thought historical events and figures are either just or evil, the two sides were always opposite and could not co-exist.
Thanks to my study-abroad experience, I have a chance to view history from different perspectives and narrations. I gradually noticed that history is not black and white but grey: it can be both black and white depending on the side you view it. On the one side, we can see great historical figures’ magnificent feats through the seemingly objective historical writings; on the other hand, they also had the opposite sides that hurt another group’s interests. It is incorrect to judge a historical figure as correct or wrong and also almost impossible for history to be absolutely objective from only one stand, what historians can do is try to be comparatively objective, meaning that collecting the facts from different aspects. Either black or white is only one flat side of history, and viewing history from a variety of aspects is the best way to find the most objective “grey” history.
From my perspective, small historical figures like the buraku woman and Okinawan people are similar to the well-documented great figures in history: they were all “grey” viewing from different aspects. The most ethical way to write their history is to avoid using absolute black and white but comparatively objective grey from different perspectives. However, the lack of archival makes it hard to be objective toward small historical figures like the buraku woman. Therefore, it is also essential for readers to read and think objectively. Many people like to think like middle school history textbooks’ absolute narrations and tend to use a single perspective to DEFINE or JUDGE a historical figure. However, it is impossible and incorrect to define one historical figure through one single view. So both historians and history learners should have an open mind in order to understand history from different perspectives.
Talking about my experiences in 2022 under the pandemic, I would like future historians to write from different perspectives to depict a more comprehensive view of me. On the one hand, I suffered from inconvenience caused by pandemics such as the must-wear-mask policy and remote classes, but on the other hand, I also had more free time to travel and to spend with family and friends even on workdays. I sometimes felt depressed because of the strict quarantine policy to go back to China but also happy to have less workload from remote classes. Each of the two conditions was the real me, but it may be hard for historians to include every specific side of my life in 2022. The best way might be comparatively objective and leave readers some space to think and imagine me as a small figure in history. Compared to being exclusive in history writing, comparative objectivity seems to be a better choice to show respect to every small figure in history.
Even though history’s black and white sides are both true to some extent, we should try to avoid making conclusions and judgments based on only one side. Learning history more comprehensively as a neutral grey is the best way to be objective. In conclusion, being objective when describing the history and historical figures is essential for historians, readers, and students like us. However, history cannot be absolutely accurate and detailed. It can provide us with different aspects when we need different quotes to support our different stands or opinions. Therefore, we should be open-minded when learning about history to try to be comparatively objective and accept facts from different stands and avoid stereotypes and bias.