How to determine a source's perspective

Perspective works the same in history. Two opposing sides in war, or politics, or social struggles, will see the same event differently and, as a result, have different opinions.

As a result, they will talk about it using different language.

Please be aware! 

Different perspectives do not necessarily mean that one side is 'right' and the other is 'wrong'. It simply means that there is a different point of view.

However, if a difference in perspective leads to a misrepresentation of facts or an unfair portrayal of events, it becomes bias, which is a different source analysis skill.

You can learn more about bias here.  

The most important step in determining perspective is to know who the creator was.

To do this, take the time to discover the name of the author of the particular source.

Once you know their name, you can conduct some background research about them.

Once you have sufficient knowledge about the of creator the source, you are able to determine what their perspective was. 

This can be as simple as identifying the creator’s:

            - nationality (e.g., American, Japanese, etc.)

            - profession (e.g., university professor, soldier, etc.)

            - political persuasion (e.g., conservative, Communist, etc.)

            - cultural background (Egyptian, European, etc.)

            - gender (male, female, etc.)

            - religious beliefs (Christian, Muslim, etc.)

            - educational background (e.g., what university they work for)

Identifying perspective in your writing:

The Gallic Wars is written from the perspective of Julius Caesar, who was a wealthy Roman nobleman, military general, and politician.

Source 2 is written from the perspective of an American soldier who served in the Vietnam War.

Herodotus was a Greek from Halicarnassus, so he provides a Classical Greek historian's perspective on the events. 

Once you have successfully identified the perspective of the source creator, it allows you to do a few things:

1. Helps inform your source evaluation

Understanding the background of the creator allows you to more confidently evaluate the reliability of a source.

For example:

Someone writing from the perspective of an academic expert in the historical topic you're investigating is likely to be more reliable than a website written by an unknown author.

2. Helps to explain the source's opinion on a topic

When comprehending and interpreting the explicit and implicit meaning of a historical source, you are able to better understand the opinions held by the source's creator about a particular topic. As a result, the identification of the author's perspective can help you understand WHY they hold this opinion.

For example:

If a source expresses the opinion that American soldiers in the Vietnam War were "murderers", it helps to understand that it was written from the perspective of a Vietnamese farmer whose family was killed by American troops during the conflict.

Using perspective to explain a source's opinion:

Source A holds the opinion that European colonists were innocent of the murders of First Nations Australians, as it states that they were "noble explorers who sought an honest living". However, it is important to understand that this source was written from the perspective of the British governor of New South Wales at the time, whose position and interests may have influenced him to cover up any evidence of misconduct by British subjects.

Anthony Smythe believes that the English Civil War was "at its very core, a class conflict between the wealthy aristocracy and the middle classes of English society". This conclusion is based upon the fact that Smythe was a member of the Socialist Party and, as a result, has a tendency to view historical events in terms of power struggles between different social classes.

Watch a video explanation on the History Skills YouTube channel:

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