Introduction
History should be an unbiased subject based on facts from historical documents. However, the matter is obstructed by both different views of the social and cultural developments and the ability to study a particular set of documentation. Thus, a new approach and an application of technology described by Garcia can help transform history into a more objective depiction of the nation’s development. This paper aims to summarize the articles From Eurocentrism to Sinocentrism: The New Challenges in Global History and New Technologies Applied to Family History: A Particular Case of Southern Europe in the Eighteens Century.
Main body
In the article From Eurocentrism to Sinocentrism: The New Challenges in
Global History Garcia discusses the critical aspects that distinguish the two notions. The primary objective is to understand the way Eurocentrism and Sinocentrism influenced global history throughout the years. The author argues that both Chinese and U.S. scholars had an impact on the shift in the notions and their application due to political and other incentives. China, in particular, was attempting to transform its history into a more glorifying story for other nations. However, Garcia states that a more beneficial approach is omitting the constant confrontation between the Eastern and Western civilizations. Instead one should focus on similarities and differences in the social and economic development of the two. Therefore, Garcia provides a valuable point when emphasizing the importance of a consistent and unbiased approach to studying history, which should be adopted by scholars around the globe.
The fundamental notions described in the article are Eurocentrism and Sinocentrism. According to Garcia, the first one means a focus on the western nations and their development. The latter is applied to describe the glorification of the Chinese domain and the unique features prevalent to the country. The two terms obstruct an objective depiction of world history as both shift the focus towards a specific nation and its importance. Garcia focuses on China in particular as its political and cultural environments provide an incentive for such inaccuracies.
In New Technologies Applied to Family History: A Particular Case of Southern Europe in the Eighteens Century the author Garcia discusses new technological developments and their application in examining history. The author explains a particular software application that was utilized for storing and studying family groups of southern Europe. Thus, observing social connections, the development of families and their generations, the motivation for marriages, and various strategies for obtaining power became easier. The software provides a possibility to observe facts with a more analytical approach. However, Garcia emphasizes the importance of understanding that technology is a useful tool and not an answer to all the questions.
Conclusion
Overall, the two articles present an outlook on how historians conduct their studies. The different perspectives applied by people from western and eastern countries result in a different depiction of events. Thus, a more unified approach is required to illuminate the influence of other social factors on history. Additionally, Garcia studied the application of software in terms of its usefulness to historians. The author concluded that such technology could be a useful tool for future studies.
Question/Importance
What policies or encouragements should be applied to ensure that the scholars follow the unbiased approach and apply technological advancements in their work? The question is important as the two papers by Garcia identified that such changes are necessary; thus, an understanding of implementing the new methodology is required.
Works Cited
Garcia, Manuel. “From Eurocentrism to Sinocentrism: The New Challenges in Global History.” European Journal of Scientific Research, vol. 119, no. 3, 2014, pp. 337-357.
—. “New Technologies Applied to Family History: A Particular Case of Southern Europe in the Eighteens Century.” Journal of Family History, vol. 36, no. 3, 2011, pp. 248-262.