CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING IN HISTORY

There has been considerable interest in the topic of conceptual unders tanding especially as found in mathematics and the science. The presen t paper discusses recent studies related to conceptual understanding i n the domain of history, comparing the nature of understanding as foun d in history to that other domains. Included are considerations of the role of the sources of historical knowledge, narrativization, causati on and explanation. In addition, it is pointed out that conceptual cha nge in history may differ from that in the sciences because of the for mer's emphasis upon the motives of people and the central role of the historian.