Historiography

Definition

The study of how history has been written and how interpretations change over time. It helps explain why historians disagree about the economic role of slavery, the causes of abolition or the scale of the trade, and why estimates are revised as new evidence appears. For students it means asking who wrote a history, with what sources and questions, and how the story has changed. See also: primary source, secondary source, and the guide Historiography and Why the Numbers Are Debated.