The word "local historian" is associated in modern man with a school course in geography. Quite often, additional classes to study the characteristics of the native land and a variety of circles on this topic are called "Young local historian." However, the meaning of the term is much broader and not limited to the walls of an educational institution.
The meaning of the term
A local historian is a person who is engaged in a detailed study of the area in which he lives, or, in a word, local history. The roots of this term (the land to know) are Russian. Local history is understood as a comprehensive detailed study of a certain region of the country, including the history of the native land, geological features of the area, ecology, diversity of biological species, ethnic composition, etc. Local historians can be scientists, whose research interests are represented in this territory, and specialists different levels and professions.
Local history is called a separate discipline in the school curriculum, which provides students with the opportunity to get acquainted with the nature, cultural and historical heritage of their native land (region of residence). Therefore, the local historian is a student who is actively involved in the study and accumulation of knowledge about his small homeland, and the popularization of information about it. The result usually is the creation of a thematic museum within the walls of the school.
History of the term
The word "local historian" has come into everyday life thanks to the development of local history, which, in turn, is divided into types in form, organization and content. Naturally, the activity of a local historian is a direct relationship between content (historical, geographical, biological, literary and ethnographic) and form (organization at the state, society or school level).
Much depends on the specifics of studying the territory or territory. For example, the historian-local historian will study to a greater degree the existing ancient documents and various kinds of descriptions of old years to recreate the full picture of the past. The ethnographer-local historian will be interested in arts and crafts and oral folk traditions, which are carefully preserved and passed on to the next generation.
The importance of the work of the local historian
Is it easy to work in the field of local history, and is this work worth attention? There are certain difficulties in the study of specific regions by visiting specialists. Therefore, the history of the native land is investigated, restored and stored by fellow countrymen. The importance of such work is obvious. After all, the local historian is a researcher of all kinds of information about his native land, as well as a person who uses a variety of sources and methods of studying them, but his functions do not end there. The next important and crucial step in the work is to comprehend the significance of the information obtained, and to understand its place in historical retrospective. And of course, we must not forget about the role of local history and its contribution to the study of world civilization.
Scientific vision of the world
Local history is one of the few scientific areas that adheres to the principle of complexity. After all, the information obtained in the study of objects and phenomena affects such areas as history, art and other sciences. The study of a particular area allows you to isolate the role of these areas of knowledge in a specific historical period of time. A distinctive feature of local history is a detailed study of the life of individual people and the few representatives of any ethnic groups. It is not divided into “special” (described by the terms intended for this) and “general” (or popular), and provides scientific knowledge of small regions.
Local history and the formation of personality of students
Pedagogy has always used the enormous educational potential of local history. Since the activity of the local historian is associated not only with value judgment, but also requires a person to manifest a culture of research on the subject, as well as responsibility for the conclusions of the study. Surveying requires a person to have a certain level of training and knowledge in many scientific fields, such as biology, geography, history, physics and chemistry, as well as art history.
Students under the guidance of more experienced adults learn exploratory activities: collecting various information, conducting a thematic survey, working with information sources, etc. Communicating with people of different age categories and worldviews allows children to study in practice the diversity and richness of the world. And the compilation of the "tree of the clan" will allow not only to establish family ties between the ancestors, but also to answer the question "who am I?", Which is important for adolescents.
Local history studies often serve as fertile soil for the revival of local customs, enthusiasm for crafts, as well as the restoration of traditions in crop production, animal husbandry and environmental protection.