Research Paper on:
Connection Between Biography and History

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
The Relationship Between History and Biography Research Compiled by 10/2001 Please   The concepts of history and biography sometimes appear intertwined; an individuals personal history can be related through the telling of their biography, and their biography is inherently impacted by elements  in their personal as well as the collective history of an era. The difference between history and biography, then, is that history is defined by elements that impact personal  perspectives, including culture, cultural relativism, and events that shape national ideologies, while biography is personalized. Generally speaking, history is used to describe the events that have impacted an aggregate,  to a collective group, while biography relates the personal events that have influenced an individuals. One important point in considering this comparison, though, is that collective perspectives, collective history,  can influence individual action. Some theorists have pointed to cultural relativism as a central premise in defining how collective or aggregate experiences and history influence personal viewpoints and individual  action (Tovey, 1997). Specifically, theorists like Bernard Williams have applied the concept of cultural relativism in the view of history and the influence of a collective or aggregate identity on  individual experiences. Williams (1972) recognized that it is not uncommon for man to apply a collective view of individual or particular acts to an assessment of an individual or  culture, especially as they reflect an individuals motivations or the impact of these acts on others. As a result, it is possible to make broad generalizations about cultural differences  and the cultural attributes of collectives of individuals based on singular perceptions of individual motivations (Curtis, 1992). For example, is it not uncommon for Anglo-European Americans to view African