historiography

noun his·to·ri·og·ra·phy \ hi-ˌstȯr-ē-ˈä-grə-fē \

|Updated on: 6 May 2018

Definition of historiography

1 a : the writing of history; especially : the writing of history based on the critical examination of sources, the selection of particulars from the authentic materials, and the synthesis of particulars into a narrative that will stand the test of critical methods

b : the principles, theory, and history of historical writing

a course in historiography

2 : the product of historical writing : a body of historical literature

a survey of the country's historiography

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historiographical

play \hi-ˌstȯr-ē-ə-ˈgra-fi-kəl\ or less commonly historiographic play \hi-ˌstȯr-ē-ə-ˈgra-fik\ adjective

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historiographically

play \hi-ˌstȯr-ē-ə-ˈgra-fi-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

Recent Examples of historiography from the Web

Ben-Gurion was among those national leaders not content with making history, but also eager to influence his country’s historiography.

— The Economist, "Binyamin Netanyahu’s unofficial history," 2 May 2018
Since 1945, the historiography of Nazism has undergone several broad transformations, reflecting political pressures both within Germany and abroad.

— naomi fry, The New Yorker, "How American Racism Influenced Hitler," 23 Apr. 2018
The resulting highlight reel of black triumph is pure historiography, a particular formulation of the story of black America.

— New York Times, "Everyday Excellence," 3 Feb. 2018
The earliest extant works of historiography by Muslim scholars date to a similar period.

— christopher carroll, WSJ, "The Crescent Rising," 4 Oct. 2017
The display hearkens to a certain dark corner of World War II historiography, to books profuse in profiles of particularly sadistic SS officers.

— andrew koenig, National Review, "Eichmann Revisited," 9 Sep. 2017
Thus, the buffs understood their investigative work not simply as an act of historiography, but as a political intervention with relevant implications.

— art simon, Slate Magazine, "In The Parallax View, Conspiracy Goes All the Way to the Top—and Beyond," 21 July 2017
Hurwitz’s fundamental connection of Holocaust consciousness with the civil rights of Americans—especially those of black Americans—is borne out by the course of historiography, especially on film.

— richard brody, The New Yorker, "Two Prescient Films About the Memory of the Holocaust," 24 Apr. 2017
And the movie shows that the historiography of Chris Burden is at least as interesting as the work itself.

— josephine livingstone, New Republic, "A Portrait of the Artist Who Had Himself Shot," 19 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'historiography.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.