As humans, we naturally
and automatically compare things. We compare shapes, colors, textures, tastes,
and sounds. We say things like “this tastes like…”, “that looks like…” “it’s
like…”. In order to make sense of the world, comparison and categorization is
an essential cognitive process. As social and historical analysts, I think it
can be helpful to compare and categorize.
Comparative history can be
helpful for a number of reasons but the first that sticks out to me is that it
can offer context. Sometimes it is necessary to take a step back and look at
the larger picture in order to see what is really going on. While the cultures,
languages, societies, and narratives vastly differ from one continent or millennium
to the next, there is one constant: people. The past ten thousand years of
human history have shown us a lot about mankind as a species and also people as
individuals. I think doing comparative history can help make sense of the
larger story of our world.
If the title of the book
doesn’t answer the question of whether or not the authors are doing comparative
history, the subtitle might have a clue. If Conrad and Demarest were not doing comparative
history, I see no reason for them to have written a book on the “dynamics of
the Aztec and the Inca” expansionism and their eventual downfall. In chapters 4
and 5 the authors really get into the comparison and theorize about what the
Aztec and Inca histories have to say about mankind as a whole. Archaeology, anthropology,
and history are all fields of study where historical comparison is necessary
and even celebrated.
I agree with you, I think sometimes people tend to compare things that they relate to or have more knowledge about. While this can certainly be helpful, one must remember to do so while within the desired context. It is true when you say that people generally never change. One thousand years ago, people were still people, driven by the same emotions we are today. By studying how they acted during these specific time periods, we can learn, as historians, more about the Human Race and even, to an extent, predict futures.
ReplyDelete