Qualitative Research: An Introduction to Methods and Designs

The What: What We Are Trying to Understand

This seems like a straightforward question: What event or episode in history is under investigation? In reality, it is much more complex, especially because historical topics are not dropped on the historian's desk, like cases are dropped on those of crime detectives. Because history is an interpretation of the past rather than merely a chronicle of an event, considerations about what one studies are important and are sometimes the first step in any historical investigation. Historians investigate certain topics about the past for a number of different reasons.

Finding a Topic

Historians want to choose topics that are significant and by which they are intrigued. Significant topics may deal with relevant ...