Perspectives

Taking an historical perspective means attempting to see through the eyes of people who lived in times and circumstances sometimes far removed for our own. To understand perspectives you need to understand the political and cultural contexts, customs, ideas and beliefs of the time.

Terrorist or freedom fighter???

You need to seek out multiple perspectives to understand events in History Avoid presentism To what extent does environment shape the beliefs of an individual?

Often you will have make inferences- evidence based estimations of the thoughts and feelings of historical actors; unless they have explicitly demonstrated their beliefs. Though acknowledging the limitations to what we know is a good sign of historical thinking. The world of the past in is not just separated by time but also intellectual upheavals, political revolutions, scientific discoveries, the role of religions, recognition of civil rights and the digitalisation of the world. This is why context is so important.

Context All Canadians had a strict sense of dress – including men In general most Canadians believed in a hierarchy of gender, race and class. For the first time women were leaving the control of their parents before marriage, as they were being trained in colleges in fill the teaching vacancies. Moral imperative to protect women. Ice – cream parlours were a popular social establishment – and often owned by Italian immigrants- -highlights xenophobia. These sets of rules provided a platform for many feminist leaders of their generation.