Scope of Historian Profession:

Historians study the events, ideas, institutions and individuals in the past. They can research and interpret the events that occurred in the earliest periods of recorded time, or those that people can remember. Unlike archaeologists who work primarily with physical objects, historians rely primarily on written records for evidence to substantiate their claims. History is a very broad field, and historians tend to specialize in a particular time period, country or region. For example, the historian may specialize in UK history with a particular emphasis on World War II. Another historian may focus on medieval history, and focus on the German-speaking areas of Europe. Historians also specialize in certain types of history, such as the history of ideas, history, immigration history, women, or the history of science. Sometimes historians specialize in a certain area, such as economic, social or political history. Although historians are invited to specialize, they also need to be common knowledge to relate their findings to the broad patterns of change and continuity observed in the past.