CHAPTER 9

GUIDELINES FOR EMBARKING ON A RESEARCH WORK: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

M.A. Chigbo, PhD

Introduction

This is an attempt to examine some of the methods/approaches in embarking on a research work. Research designs could be historical, exploratory or survey design. We are here concerned with historical design. To some extent historical research makes use of scientific method. For instance, in scientific field, the first step is to identify and define the topic/problem. Secondly there is the formulation of probable hypothesis and the collection of relevant data that will enable research to verify his/her problem. This will be followed by analyzing or interpreting the data collected and then reports the finding or conclusion. History follows these patterns but does not involve itself in predictions and experiments.

History as a body of knowledge has its own methodological approach. In otherwords, it offers a connected body of knowledge that can be methodologically arrived at. It is a study with its own recognized method which must be mastered by all professional historians. History tries to investigate the past while historians aim at an intelligent reconstruction of the past, and memory impressions often form an indispensable part of its raw materials. Again, the conclusions of historians are arrived at by close examination of a clearly defined subject matter.

This article is essentially devoted to highlighting guidelines for carrying out a fruitful research work necessary for writing proposals, theses and dissertation from a historical perspective. The approaches outlined and discussed will be mostly beneficial to students of history and those who are already skilled/professional historians. This brings us to the rationale for Historical research.

Rationale for Research Work in History:

Like in other disciplines, research work is very necessary for students of history especially in higher institutions. This is because the history experts cannot be factual if an elaborate research is not carried out to determine its authenticity. Hence, many reasons have been adduced you such research activities namely;

1. Researches in the field of history enable students to examine critically some of the racialist writings and views of the Europeans about Africa.

2. The researches enable students to examine available archival materials that exist in their places of academic work.

3. Research activities cultivate independence of thought and encourage students to develop the ability to find, interpret and present materials.

4. Researches in the field of history enable students to put into practice the principles and theories they have learnt in the class rooms.

5. Finally, research activities widen the researcher’s academic horizon and understanding of event and afford them the experience of organizing materials on large scale.

Phases of Historical Procedures

This article has identified three phases of historical procedure. With the cause that we do not jump to any conclusions about separating the historian’s work into neat compartment we may still find it useful to consider these three steps namely;

a) Reconstruction of the Historical facts – “The Science of History”

In this respect reconstruction of the historical fact may be done by people who do not write history at all. These refer to the basic researchers who nose around in attics and cellars, in court houses and in records of business firms and who publish their materials in form of collected letters, papers, memories and journals. No one has monopoly of fact-collections, and many historians who write at a high level of generalization, science and anthropology often themselves contribute to knowledge of events.

b) Writing the historical Narrative– “The art of History”

Since the task is to assemble the fact as to form a significant written record, it goes without saying that historians must take a literary effort. Sometime this effort is so successful that the result is a high art form.

c) Interpretation – “The Philosophy of History”

After the facts have been gathered and narrative written, the record seems to require explanation in terms of general principles that govern human conduct. The older historians sought to explain the flow of events by some grand, central motivation. They had an essentially monistic philosophy as opposed to the pluralistic philosophy of modern writers. The most common and best known monistic theme was that history centred around political activity, around government such as wars, legislative acts and changes in rulers. Modern historians have come to believe that the vast sweep of history cannot be explained in terms of one aspect of human activity. They rather take the pluralistic view which stipulates that, in a physocial environment more and more events are shaped and dominated by man himself. From the tangled web of facts, the historian must select some and discard others. Foremost, historical scholars used to contend that the selection could be done on an “objective” basis. Yet, one man’s objectivity is another man’s bias. No individual historian, however, honourable, however magnificent his gift, can write outside the context of his own life and his own philosophy. He must include in his narrative those facts that he thinks are important in explaining changes that in his opinions, are worthy of explaining. In this case, history involves implicit theorizing. For detailed analysis and comprehension, the necessary procedures for a successful field work have been carefully identified below. In otherwords, the following discussions will be based on the necessary guidelines or steps for successful research work.

Necessary Steps for a Successful Field Work:

In any historical research, pre-field work is essential. In this respect the following procedures are inevitable steps required in a research work.

i. Choice of Topic: The first step is the choice of topic. There are two methods of selecting topics. For instance, the choice can be made by the students themselves or by their supervisors. Each of these methods has its own merit. A choice made by a supervisor is likely to be more articulate and academic. On the other hand, it seems more advantageous for the student to make the choice because he is the author and knows more on what is to be written. The supervisor is merely guiding the researcher.

However, for the investigator to effectively narrow the area of interest to a specifictopic there is need to read enough literature using college libraries that have standard reference works such as encyclopedia and dictionaries, as well as internet browsing. Reading through these available stocks of information will enable the scholar or student respectively to discover gaps in knowledge to be filled by the new research.

ii. Definition of Topic: The second step is the definition of topic. At this point the researcher first defines the problem to be investigated in what is referred to as the statement of the problem. The next step is followed by outlining the aims and objectives of the topic and why he has decided to write on the subject. Following the problem statement is the scope which covers space and time. This involves the geographical area to be covered as well as the period involved. The scope also shows whether the topic is pre-colonial or post-colonial or even all of them put together.

iii. The Determination of the subject matter is another step to be considered because the researcher has to explain whether he is dealing on the political, economic or social aspect of the people or whether he is writing a total history. He also takes into consideration whether there are people who are knowledgeable enough to supply the necessary information needed. The researcher considers the problems likely to be encountered and how to ensure that informants are carried along.

iv. Literature Review: Literature review involves preliminary readings to ascertain the availability of materials for the research. To be specific, literature review is an attempt to appraise the works of others scholars on the topic of the research. The aim is to identify the available gaps and be able to fill them. The researcher is therefore expected to make an input after reviewing the available literatures needed for his research work. This review involves making use of available textbooks, journals, articles and other related secondary sources.

Once the vital steps have been taken the researcher is expected to embark on the main task – the work itself.

Stages involved in the field Work

There are various theoretical and practical aspects of gathering and using sources especially the oral evidence. These involve collecting, recording, collating, dating preserving dates and interviewing techniques. Specifically, the following techniques are necessary: -

Firstly, it is important to make field recordings and this measure entails adequate preparation. The result should take into consideration the different personalities and the mental attitude of the interviewees/informants. Secondly, proper explanation of oneself is necessary and the academic intentions of the researcher should be clear to the informants that the researcher is interested in learning rather than teaching them.

Thirdly, the researcher should show amount of humility and any expression of gratitude has to conform to the societal pattern of the people the research is dealing with. Again, the personality of the researcher will determine the extent of his success. If the interviewees/informants do not have confidence in him, he may achieve little or, nothing, from them. He may be fed with false information.

Fourthly, the age and status of informants are necessary and if possible, the researcher should get the photographs of the informants. Information should be collected from both men and women aged and middle-aged people. The aim is to have a wide range of information. Above all, attempts should be made to record different types of tradition both fixed and free texts. These should include songs, proverbs, drum praise names and folk tales. Here, video tapes and photographs are necessary and these tapes and documents can be numbered while transmission must be faithful.

Finally, a researcher is free to ask questions but attempts should be made to avoid leading question while the informants’ names must be properly cited. Information about wars should come from military men who are likely to be eye witnesses.

It has to be noted that these steps/methods of carrying out field work have their attendant obstacles and a researcher has to be mindful of them. Some of them can be briefly summarized here. Firstly, oral traditions appear to be created in the present because of their orality, hence these are said to be impermanent. Once spoken, they come to be at the time of their transmission or time of their creation. Secondly, there is the problem of distortion as a result of various transmissions. Certain facts are often embellished or deliberately exaggerated either by the informant or researcher. At times, oral traditions lose some of their contents because they may have been forgotten over the years. There is also the tendency to discredit areas that are not favourable to the researcher.

Thirdly, there is the problem of chronology and proper dating. Chronology is the planning of historical events in definite chronological pattern especially in terms of seasons, generations, genealogies and period festivals. In oral tradition, there is the existence of relative chronology but this does not give the exact date of events. In some cases, information collected is not completely verifiable. This is because some of the people who were informed in such episodes may have died when the research is being carried out. In most cases, the data rests on inference and logic. Historical data can be verifiable when they exist in the form of quotations and citation ascribed to existing sources.

Finally, sources are at time fragmented and the past cannot be reconstructed in its totality. New sources are discovered almost every day and this tends to multiply the researcher’s perspective of the past. This is turn creates its own problem.

Purification of Sources/Information during Research Work:

Having briefly examined the different obstacles or deficiencies associated with field work during research, the following steps can be adopted in the purification of sources. These include careful comparison of sources, proper examination of the mode of transmission, rejection of personal interpretation and careful subjection of documents to external criticism. Others include the use of court historians, careful examination of archival materials and determination of the status of informants. A few of these methods are hereby elaborated.

a) Comparison of Sources: Different oral information collected should be compared with each other. It is wrong for a research to rely on one evidence because the conclusion arrived at is bound to be faulty. A closer truth can be achieved by employing this method.

b) The Mode of Transmission: This is another method of verifying source. There are different ways of transmission. For instance, in Yoruba, each palace had a duty to translate and transmit its version of oral transmission. But in non-centralized societies such as in Igbo areas the traditions are not documented. It is wide open and everybody is expected to know it.

c) Use of Court Historians: Information from court historians is relatively more original and autochthonous. Traditions kept by them are freer from corrupting influence than those in non-centralized societies which were not cared for. In open society everybody can add his own version leading to deliberate suppression on distortion.

d) Careful Examination of Archival Materials:

It is necessary to subject available archival sources during field work to proper analysis. This approach is relevant because most of the so-called intelligent reports were not genuine. They were the handiwork of anthropologists and ethnographers of the 1920’s and 1930 who tried to present the history of Africa from a racialist point of view. Certain facts were deliberately misrepresented during the period. To verify these documents, efforts should be made to consult people who lived during the period under review. Oral evidence from such aged and knowledge people will help reconcile the areas of ambiguity. e)

e) Careful Examination of the status of the Informant:

The sound knowledge of the informant is very essential for a researcher to achieve a reasonable success. Factors to be taken into consideration include his age, his position in the society and his depth of knowledge in the research topic. These are crucial factors that can be of help in his version of oral tradition.

f) Rejection of oral Tradition

Interpretations that are extraneous to the account of oral tradition must be rejected. A distinction should be made between oral tradition and personal interpretation. Reconciliation between the two will help eliminate misleading accounts.

g) The Impact of External Criticisms:

Subjection of documents to external criticism is very essential. In determining the genuineness of the documents, the researcher examines the social aspects. For instance, from the book cover he tries to note when and where it was written and by whom. He also examines the language style prevalent at the time the book was written. If the documents are written in English Language, he notes the type bearing in mind that there are different types of English. These include the Shakespearean, the Victorian, the Elizabethan and American variants. The next step is to determine whether the documents were written when they were said to have been written and by the author who claimed to have produced them. The status of the author and how he is seen in the society should be taken into consideration. Above all, the circumstances leading to the writing of the documents are equally of importance.

The final cross-checking and analysis will help to establish the reliability of the documents. The exercise will also reveal whether the documents are primary or secondary, whether there is first hand information or materials told or read from other sources.

Conclusion

This work has dealt exclusively on the historical perspective of carrying out a research work. The different stages involved in historical research were carefully identified. It is clear that a research in the field of history is not an easy task; hence, the different obstacles arising from the identification, and interpretation of available sources were carefully examined. Furthermore, attempt was made to highlight the various methods of purifying sources to ascertain their authenticity.

Endnotes

1. E.H. Carr, What is History? (London: Macmillian Press Ltd, 1961), 62

2. J.C. Malin “Essays on Historiography” in Roberston, E.M. History of the American, Economy, Third Edition, New York, Harcourt Bruce Jaranovied Inc. 1973, 25

3. L.M. Salmon. Why is History Re-Written? (New York: Oxford University press, 1929), 55

4. R.F.A Alkinson Knowledge and Explanation in History (London: Macmillan press Ltd, 1978), 36

5. J.C. Malin “Essays on Historiography” in Roberston E.M.

6. C.L. Becker; Everyman His own Historian, (New York: Appleton Century Crofts, 1935), 95

7. C.V. Langlois and C. Seignobos. Introduction to the study of History, (New York: Holt, 1909), 33-35

8. A. Johnson. The Historian and Historical Evidence (New York: Scribers, 1926), 175

9. E.J. Alajoa “The Present state of Oral traditional studies in E.O. Erim and Okon E. Uya (eds.). Perspective and Methods of study in African History, (Enugu: Forth Dimension) Publishers, 1984) 33-37. See also E.J. Alagoa “Oral Historical Traditions in African” Tarnikel vol.8. (Ikeja: Longmans 1987) 81-82.

10. S.O. Biobaku (ed.) sources of Yoruba History (London: Oxford Clarendon press, 1973) 50-55.

11. E.J. Alagoa. “Oral Sources of Nigeria” Journal of the Society of Nigerian Archives, Vol.1, No.! July, 1987, 22-26

12. F.F. Teggart, Theory and Processes of History. (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1960), 89