Hahn's Conception Of History

Steven Hahn’s lecture holds several great points, but his introduction resonates with me when he explains that it is nearly impossible to write a history of one state from a different place of origin. Hahn explains that the corresponding viewpoints would be too great and in order to fully understand the history of one place, you need to have some sort of connection to the place itself. Such a connection forms when places construct a history that brings citizens together, either through public celebrations or remembrance of past events specific to that state. This allows citizens who experience these events to hold a deeper connection and understanding of their home state, and thus write a comprehensive and in-depth history on said state. Non-citizens would not have those same experiences, so they would not be able to write such a full history since they lack the fundamental understanding that citizens hold. Hahn also stated that even if someone with an outside perspective was able to analyze the history of a place, they would not be able to do so in the same mindset as those who lived there. An example he uses is the Glorious Expansion that American expansionists faced in their move westward. While Americans at the time referred to it as

Scholars are physically unable to immerse themselves in the fictional or historical world they are analyzing, causing them to lack the required experiences and emotions needed to accurately analyze the text. For example, those who analyze ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ can do so only from an outside perspective, and thus never fully understand the emotions or actions of the characters in the book. Without being emerged in a society and without experiencing what happens first hand, it is difficult, complicated, and near impossible to write a history as if you did have those