مجله تاریخ نگری و تاریخ نگاری
سال نوزدهم شماره 2 (تابستان 1388)

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the historical theory of R. G. Collingwood and to demonstrate fundamental obscurities of this theory, which in the author’s opinion are indicative of the existence of an inevitable paradox in two essential principles of Collingwood’s epistemology; i.e. belief in historicity of mind and life of human from one side, and on the other hand, credence to the possibility of precise reconstruction of the past by apriorical element of historical imagination. However, as these results are interpretative, further discussions are predicable and desired.

Ibn – Khaldun’s methods in historical studies is based on critical study of Islamic historiography. After multilateral reviewing and using some occult rational traditions of Islamic historiography, Ibn – Khaldun proposed his special method in criticizing historical narratives by the conformity of historical narratives with the historical facts. Preserving this method and in order to gaining methodical and logical knowledge of history, he tied philosophical logics, logical methods and historical knowledge and used inductive and deductive methods for analyzing historical facts. Therefore, he gains knowledge of historical facts in a way to innovate and offer theoretical concepts and paradigms for describing historical facts. The ultimate of Ibn – Khaldun’s methodology is to contrive sociological theories for analyzing historical facts and historical sociology of Islamic society.

This article seeks to contemplate the relatively new-founded branch of women’s Historiography in the general course of modern historiography, and to scrutinize the question of; why even after two centuries since the establishment of Rankean positivism and the creation of the significant branches such as cultural and social Historiography, the women’s Historiography has a short life time of less than half a century. To examine this question, the article explains the three main approaches to Historiography in connection with women’s Historiography, and thereafter in a more detailed section investigates the highlights of the unique qualities of the women’s Historiography. The general answer to the main question of the article, which the responsibility for its analysis is placed in the last section of the article, is looked for in negligence of the schools of Historiography (political, cultural and social) in regards to the subject of women on one side and the women’s awareness towards their rights, and the women’s rights being placed at the center, resulted from the creation of the feminist movements on the other side. The negligence of the schools of Historiography is believed to be the main reason for the late creation of the women’s Historiography and the feminist movements is considered as the foremost cause for the creation of this Historiography and the grounds for it has each been described in detail and analyzed.

In between the ages of the establishment of Qajar government till the extinction of Fath-Ali Shah monarchy lots of historians and historiographers appeared who wrote histories with different values. During this period, historiography developed in quantity and in a few cases in quality. In the last years of Fath-Ali Shah's monarchy, Mirza Fazl-Allah Khavari Shirazi wrote the last historiographical work of last years of early Qajar: "Tarikh-e Zolgharneyn". The method and approach that he applied in this book made his work a unique and outstanding one among history books of early years of Qajar which were identified as traditional Iranian historiographies. Although he was loyal to some features of traditional historiography of his time, he had some different points too such as style, writing method and usage of simple words. Avoiding literary rhetoric and redundancies as well as attempting to analyze the events and most importantly, emphasizing on the necessity of reforming the method of historiography, doing historical criticism and putting himself beyond historical events put Khavari historically in an outstanding position in early years of Qajar. These features made Khavary's historiography ahead of mere historiographies and influenced future developments of Qajar historiography.

History as one of the important educational fields in the Humanities and as the basis science in social sciences is teaching in the most universities of Iran. As traditional methods of teaching put emphasis on political history, other various aspects of human social life is neglected. In fact, historical researches in traditional methods based on political documents have benighted conservatively and are not accountable to nowadays society and human questions. Therefore, the necessity of change in viewpoint of teaching and researching history in practical way is essential in universities. Scientific and precise planning along with holding educational courses and scientific conferences will provide qualitative development in teaching and researching history. The aim of this research is to offer views, prospects and scientific strategies for a qualitative development in field of History.

The presentation of statistics and figures in large scale on various areas is one of the remarkable issues in the Islamic history sources. These statistics encompass a vast collection of topics such as the number of armies, human and financial loses of wars and clashes, damages resulting from natural incidents such as flood, earthquake and epidemic diseases, properties, incomes, costs and assets of governments and individuals. Due to the lack of precise statistics and census in the first Islamic centuries, also because of difficulties and sometimes impossibility of taking an estimated statistics in cases such as individuals’ assets or earthquake damages, the correctness and accuracy of some of the statistics and figures mentioned in sources look rather doubtful. Casting doubt by the historians on the presented figures, an intensive difference between the mentioned figures in the traditions, the incompatibility of many statistics with those of the geographical, economic and political conditions, also the lack of adaptation with financial and spiritual abilities and a broad use of symbolic and round figures are some of the reasons accounting for the incorrectness of many figures and their imprecise presentation. This article reviews the rate of correctness and accuracy of the figures in the sources of Islamic history. Among available sources, the study focuses on general history books such as: Tarikh-e Yaqoubi, Alakhbar Al-Tewal, Tarikh Al-Rosol wal-Molook, Moruj Al-Zahab Va Maden al-Johar, Tajareb Al-Omam Va Taqeb Al-hemam, Al-kamel Fi Al-Tarikh. It is clear that firstly these sources have had great impacts on other historical books and works and secondly, more attention has been given to these sources by the scholars of Islamic history.

Paying attention to the philosophy of history and evoking scholars and intellectuals for thinking about history was one of Master Mothahari’s apprehensions. Hence, considering the extent of his issues in field of history epistemology, the present research tries to introduce and criticize some of Mothahari’s ideas about philosophy of history in his works, based on descriptive and analytical method. The result of this research is that Mothahari’s issues in philosophy of history which is based on different epistemological foundations, is contradictory. This may be because of his lack of specialty in the field of history, specifically in field of philosophy of history with its origin in the West and the lack of sufficient translation with respect to this field at that time. While due to his grasp of Islamic viewpoints and Islamic philosophy, his ideas in field of theoretical philosophy of history enjoy constancy, strength and appealing.