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catches will depend, partly on chance, but mainly on what part of the ocean he
chooses to fish in and what tackle he chooses to use – these two factors being, of
course, determined by the kinds of fish he wants to catch. (1990, p. 23)
This is a point where historical methodology and CDA as a combined approach becomes
important, for its capacity to enunciate and follow an explicit criteria and follow a framework
that locates the power discourses in texts, but still mindful and respectful of the historical era
and context they were published.
3.6.2 Use of secondary sources.
In discussing the use of sources generally, Hoepper states:
Students should learn about the categorization of sources into ‘primary’ and
‘secondary’ and discuss the relative merits of each…Hopefully they’ll also be
comfortable if the distinction between ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ becomes blurred
for example, a 2007 history textbook about Ned Kelly may be a secondary source
about Kelly but a primary source of evidence about printing techniques in 2007.
(2007, p. 35)
The textbooks are secondary sources in that they provide an account of Australian history to
students that is not an original source, but rather an interpretation based on a selection of
(often unreferenced) primary sources. However, they are primary sources for the purposes of
this project as each textbook is an historical artefact, an example of the content of Australian
history taught to school students in time periods of the past; or as Venezky describes a
“cultural artifact” (as cited in Pinar et al, 2000, p. 775). The use of what would commonly be
considered secondary sources as primary sources is an accepted use of sources (see Black &
MacRaild, 2000) for this project.
3.6.3 Defending the use of history methodology in this project.
It is not the intent of this project to be dismissive, neglectful of or otherwise willfully
disregard the role traditional historical methodology has to play in researching ‘the past’. This
is a criticism Marwick (2001) and others assert of history projects that do not follow the
time-honoured tradition of historical research in order—as Black and MacRaild write of the
Whig historian Acton—“…to pursue ‘ultimate’ (meaning universal) history - history
requiring no subsequent revision on account of its perfectibility…” (2000, p. 89). However,
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