On the possibility of writing contemporary history

Traditional historians limit the scope of history to events which occured outside living memory. The main concern is whether it is possible to study the contemporary period objectively using a scientific approach. From the traditional historians' point of view, a historian who studies his own time cannot be objective, and cannot adopt a scientific approach succesfully. Their belief is that events as recent as fifty years ago should not be the study of historians. As a result of this point of view, contemporary history is still struggling to gain recognation. This essay will analyse some of the problem areas concerning contemporary history and will examine the accuracy of the traditionalist claims and the possibility of writing a valid contemporary history.

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History ,

Historiography ,

Contemporary History ,