Philosophy
The Philosophy of Historiography: Objectivity and Narrativity
Quick fact
The 19th-century historian Leopold von Ranke famously claimed history should be written 'as it actually happened' (wie es eigentlich gewesen), yet even he had to select and order events to form a coherent tale — a process that inherently involves narrative choices.
Why this is interesting
You probably think of history as 'what really happened' — a chain of facts waiting to be discovered. But what if the past itself is a story we tell, and the 'facts' we find depend on who is telling it?