Historian

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Social, Enterprising, Investigative
A historian is a person specialized in the study of history. This person dedicates a lot of time to researching the past to better understand the present and the future. Historians play an important role in preserving national memory. They study historical documents and materials to understand past events and trends and trace their influence on the evolution of society.

What is a historian?

A historian has the fascinating job of studying and interpreting the past. When people need detailed information about the past, they go to historians to get the facts. These people write history books on all kinds of topics, times, people, and places. From ancient history, to a specific decade, to a specific historical event, historians will study and find data to share that information with the public.

What does a historian do?

There are many types of historians, each with a specialty or a specific area of study in which they are experts. These specialties range from a specific time period, country, or region. For example, a historian might specialize in the history of Spain with a particular mastery of the culture of the sixties. Another example of a specialization might be the history of Vietnam with a concentration on the war. Historians can also specialize in the type of history, such as women's history, or science. However, although many historians specialize in a subject, they are expected to have a general base of knowledge of history.

Historians study the written records of history; This is where they get the support and evidence to back up their interpretation of the event or time period in question. 
It is their job to review all the written documents they can find, and then gather all the information to form some kind of historical narrative. Next, they are able to answer questions about what happened, who was involved, why, etc.

Most historians work in colleges or universities, and much of what these historians do involves teaching courses or serving some role in a history department. The work of historians in colleges and universities also largely involves conducting research and writing articles or books.

Those historians who do not work in colleges or universities may work as archivists, helping to collect and preserve important historical documents, or they may work with government agencies and be involved in helping to preserve buildings. They may also be consultants for the media with the task of making sure that all aspects of the show or film in question are historically accurate.

What is a historian's workplace like?

A historian's workplace is one of focus and quiet. Many historians spend most of their time in offices in colleges or universities, in libraries, or in classrooms. They may make some trips to historic sites or archives for research purposes.

Historian: what do they do?
Organize data, analyze and interpret its authenticity and its relative importance. 77%
Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news archives and photographs, as well as collect data sources such as books, pamphlets and periodicals. 77%
Trace historical development in a particular field, such as social, cultural, political or diplomatic history. 70%
Conduct historical research as a basis for the identification, preservation and reconstruction of historic places and materials. 70%
Teach and conduct research in colleges, universities, museums and other research agencies and schools. 67%
Carry out historical research and publish or present findings and theories. 65%
Speak with various groups, organizations, and clubs to promote the goals and activities of historical societies. 63%
Prepare publications and exhibits, or review those prepared by others to ensure their historical accuracy. 63%
Research the history of a particular country or region, or of a specific time period. 63%
Present historical accounts in terms of individuals or social, ethnic, political, economic, or geographic groupings. 62%