Daily Times

The meaning of the past is important because it provides a path to our present identity. The past is knowable if it is written, or turned into a story and supported by a narrative. As a presentation of time, it needs to be viewed as a capricious agglomeration of events which have occurred. Historical narrative as a form of history entices historians in two ways; first, as a source, and second, as a form of communication. Meanwhile, its role in the development of historical consciousness cannot be dispensed with either.

History is not only the storehouse of stories. It provides us with the role models, ideologies, achievements and even mistakes that have led to the development of human beings. Understanding the paradigm shift in 21st century, the thinkers and intellectuals offer little space to the grand narrative, despite the fact that past events can be a source of enlightenment. Other than the sense of collective identity, it also provides the examples of political experiences, ideologies and systems. Essentially all this leads up to the development of historical consciousness.

Historical consciousness has been viewed as class consciousness and social consciousness; it intrinsically directs our actions and the way we perceive things. In this perspective, history controls every aspect of life. Historical consciousness is an important part of epistemology as well, and is a source of information that provides a sense of what society has been through, and where it stands now.

Quite a vivid aspect of historical consciousness is how much importance is given to the past in the perspective of the present and the future. The knowledge of history is usually dispensed to the general public through the historical narrative, which helps in shaping humanity’s outlook on life, including the problems that afflict our world.

However, when we talk about the Pakistani society, knowledge of history has played a relatively small role in shaping our ideals. In the contemporary world, most nations are in favour of liberal democracy, after experiencing alternate systems of governance in their past. This is because while their society WAs still in the phase of transition, and learning to make better choices; they studied history in great detail to learn not to repeat their past mistakes. However, in Pakistan, as KK Aziz highlighted in his ‘Murder of History’, text books in the country have failed to deliver in this regard. Additionally Tahir Kamran, the notable historian, argues that there is also a lack of consensus over our history as well. These are the major reasons why history does not seem to play a productive role in our society, or any effective role in building historical consciousness.

The next elections will usher in the third consecutive democratically elected government, which is an unprecedented milestone as democracy has been threatened by nondemocratic institutions time and again. But it is our historical consciousness that has led people to pine for democracy

Now, it is not to imply that historical consciousness has not played any role in our society. Political actions and historical consciousness are not independent from each other, and the latter will play a major part in shaping the former. The historical emergence of the middle class and its desire for democracy ensured that our society went through a paradigm shift. Currently, our political culture is going through a transitional phase. The next elections will herald in the third consecutive democratically elected government, which is an unprecedented milestone as democracy has been threatened by nondemocratic institutions time and again. But it is our historical consciousness and experience of these oppressive regimes of the past that have led people to pine for democracy. Society is now more willing to recognize the upcoming elections as a way to bring about change and as an opportunity to improve the political situation in the country. The political consciousness, developed under the influence of historical consciousness, has made people wary of totalitarian rule, and this will ultimately shape our political landscape for years to come.

Outside the academic history, popular understanding of the past determines the effectiveness of historical consciousness. Every action or decision that is taken is steeped in our experiences or knowledge about the past. It can help us make informed decisions and can help provide inspiration for solving complicated problems. Similarly, in a political context, it can help us shape our opinions of the various political parties taking part in the general elections of 2018. Every party has a history, which includes their mandate, their past experiences in power, and their various shortcomings or successes over the years. A number of documents and literature is available on this subject, and even though some entities have opted to censor those that seek answers to these questions, it is our right to study the history of every party in order to vote for the one we think best serves the interest s of the nation and its people.

Human reason and the empiricist approach influence the general laws of nature. In the modern era, many nations have evolved features of complex hybridity and global uniformities. While, the universality in human behaviour and historical events does not hold a valid explanation, it can still be found in every society around the world. No matter how one might interpret past events, our common history and day to day experiences affect us equally and govern basic human understanding today. This understanding can be further developed by comprehensive research in to the subject, and by treating human history with the respect and attention it deserves.

The writer is Lecturer, Department of History, GCU Lahore

Published in Daily Times, July 15^th 2018.