Hi again folks! In my last post I asked about the different levels of study. Now I’m going to ask for direct advice for myself.
Having completed a good amount of study and reading, I was left with a bit of a problem. My reading was a bit reliant on western historiography I’m so much as it was based on Euro-American History, and particularly early modern to modern history. Roughly from the American Revolution to the Rise of Hitler.
I am not knocking these topics! However in order to enhance my experience and improve my knowledge I am trying to expand my skills. So, how do I approach the rest of the world’s history, and the history of further back’s cultures?
I am very tempted to just start reading and hope for the best! However I have a sneaky suspicion that for one example I should be hunting primary texts. How does one go about this, in terms of translatable texts? And, as applies to methodologies, how should I interact with different older societies?
Although your excitement to look into primary source material is great, I think you have to set your expectations appropriately when jumping into history that you are unfamiliar with. Translations are often controversial, and if you aren't reading a decent translation of a text, you can walk away with a worse understanding fo the material than you started with.
Fortunately we have professional historians who have spent their lives dedicated to researching and writing about their own niche pockets of history; let them guide you through all the primary sources. My suggestion is to find a topic that interest you, and dive into different regions based on that topic.
Typically, any work that just focuses on "global history" is much more surface level. From your posts, it looks like you want to really engage with material, so find something specific. Interested in cooking? Read a book about the history of food in _____ country/region.
If you're looking for books, try and stick to academic publishers. This will be the newest publishings and also the most fact-checked. Good luck!