The word "local historian" is associated with a modern person with a school geography course. Quite often, additional classes on the study of the peculiarities of the native land and various circles on this topic are called "Young local historian". However, the meaning of the term is much broader and is not limited to the walls of an educational institution.
Meaning of 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 (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 both scientists whose research interests are represented in this territory, and specialists different levels and professions.
Local history is a separate discipline in the school curriculum, which provides students with the opportunity to get to know nature, culture andhistorical heritage of the native land (region of residence). Therefore, a local historian is a student who is active in studying and accumulating knowledge about his small homeland, popularizing information about it. The result is usually the creation of a thematic museum within the walls of the school.
History of the term
The word "local historian" entered everyday life thanks to the development of local history, which, in turn, is divided into types according to 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 level of the state, society or school).
Much depends on the chosen specifics of studying the region or territory. For example, a local historian will mostly study existing ancient documents and various descriptions of ancient years in order to recreate a complete 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 generations.
The importance of the work of a local historian
Is it easy to work in the field of local history, and is this work worth attention? There are certain difficulties in studying specific regions by visiting specialists. Therefore, the history of the native land is researched, restored and preserved by fellow countrymen. The importance of such work is obvious. After all, a local historian is a seeker 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 responsible stage of work is understanding the significance of the information obtained, understanding its place in the 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 specific locality makes it possible to isolate the role of the listed areas of knowledge in a certain historical period of time. A distinctive feature of local history is a detailed study of the lives of individual people and a 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 about small regions.
Local history and the formation of the personality of schoolchildren
Pedagogy has always used the huge educational potential of local history. Since the activity of a local historian is associated not only with a 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. Conducting survey work requires a person to have a certain level of training and knowledge inmany scientific fields such as biology, geography, history, physics and chemistry, as well as art history.
. And compiling a “genus tree” will allow not only to establish family ties between ancestors, but also to answer the question “who am I?”, which is important for teenagers.
Local history often serves as a fertile ground for the revival of local customs, passion for crafts, as well as the renewal of traditions in crop production, animal husbandry and environmental protection.
