Hi guys, I’m new here but I’m a History major just finishing their second year at University in the UK.
Next year I’ll be writing my dissertation, which I had chosen to base around the question of the motivational factors of the Aztec flowery wars. Having done my literature review, however, I feel like there isn’t really a lot new that can be contributed to this debate and that it’s going to be difficult to complete a 15,000 word piece on because of that.
My problem is therefore finding a new area to base my dissertation around. I’m really keen to use Aztec warfare or maybe religion as my general area but I’m really struggling to find any specific subtopics within this that are currently open to debate/havent been covered extensively by other historians.
I wondered if anyone here could give me any guidance, as I’ve tried asking my supervisor but her response was essentially just to read more books. Ive no problem with this, but I feel like it’d be a lot more useful if I had an idea of what debates/subtopics to base my reading around instead of reading every history book on Aztec warfare or religion.
there isn’t really a lot new that can be contributed to this debate
I think you've gotten this the wrong way round, you should be looking for a topic that HAS been covered by historians. Generally for a UK undergraduate dissertation you should not feel that you have to deliver a totally new viewpoint or "discover" anything. It is okay for you to take a topic that has already been extensively argued and simply give your take on it. What is important for your dissertation is that you can show your mastery with primary sources and that you go over the historiography of your chosen topic and note the viewpoints you find persuasive or not. If you choose a topic which hasn't had much written on it, you'll obviously find it difficult to address historiography and you will have a lot less to go off in regards to primary sources.
For reference I completed a similar UK undergraduate dissertation on Mesoamerican history last year. What you are describing you need to do is almost exactly what I was told NOT to do for my dissertation. I don't know if that is because of different expectations from different universities, but I would suggest asking your supervisor for clarification. Besides that I can give recommendations for primary sources but most of mine are post-conquest.