Much of what we do as historians, and as students of history, springs from the imagination. What was this place like at that time? How did these particular people live on this particular patch of ground? These are the types of questions we need to engage in the study of regionalism, and they are perhaps best addressed in ways that acknowledge multiple viewpoints, and multiple sources. The writings included for this week can be used in a variety of ways depending on the age group. They present starting points for a discussion of multiple points of view, and the more modernist way of looking at particular places. If nothing else, they can ease students into the idea of western history, and help them to see it not simply as a received package of agreed-upon facts, but as an exercise of the imagination aimed at getting closer to an understanding of the "truth" about a place. You might ask students to list all the possible resources that would help them to understand their region. Or, you might ask them to think of all the different ways of looking at a particular region (e.g. Native, Anglo, Male, Female, Scientific, Economic, etc.). The idea behind an exercise of this sort is to help students see history as layered, additive, and fallible, rather than exclusive or autocratic. |