Introduction
Conventions—established norms, rules, and practices—serve as frameworks within which knowledge is often developed and communicated. In history and the arts, conventions can be seen as double-edged swords: they offer structure yet may impose constraints. This essay explores to what extent conventions either limit or expand the ability of historians and artists to produce knowledge, drawing on the Areas of Knowledge (AOKs) of history and the arts while analyzing how various Ways of Knowing (WOKs) such as language, emotion, and imagination interact with these conventions. I argue that conventions, while sometimes restrictive, ultimately expand the boundaries of knowledge production by offering a common language and framework for innovation and critical thought.
Paragraph 1: Conventions in History – Expansion of Knowledge
In history, conventions such as chronological sequencing, citation standards, and the use of primary and secondary sources provide historians with tools to analyze and organize the past critically. These conventions contribute to reliability, verifiability, and shared understanding, allowing for collaborative knowledge construction.
For example, the Annales School of historiography, led by historians like Fernand Braudel, challenged traditional event-based narratives by introducing long-term social and economic structures as central themes. Though they operated within academic conventions, they expanded historical understanding by shifting focus from political elites to broader social trends. This shows how working within established conventions allowed for innovation, pushing the boundaries of what counted as historical knowledge.
WOKs such as language and reason are instrumental here. Historical writing conventions provide the linguistic structure necessary for coherent argumentation and debate, enabling historians to communicate complex ideas across time and culture.
Paragraph 2: Counterclaim – Conventions in History as Limiting
However, conventions can also limit historians. For instance, reliance on written documents often marginalizes oral traditions and non-Western epistemologies, narrowing the scope of historical knowledge. This creates a bias toward literate, institutionalized societies, as seen in the historical neglect of Indigenous narratives in colonized regions.
A poignant example is the historical treatment of African civilizations in early European historiography. For centuries, due to Eurocentric conventions that prioritized written evidence, African history was either dismissed or interpreted through a colonial lens. Only in recent decades have historians begun to validate oral histories and archaeological evidence as legitimate sources, challenging the conventionally narrow definitions of evidence.
Thus, while conventions help in standardizing methodology, they may also suppress alternative perspectives and WOKs like emotion and intuition, which are often essential in interpreting human experiences that lack written documentation.
Paragraph 3: Conventions in the Arts – A Platform for Creativity
In contrast to history, artistic conventions such as genre, perspective, and medium-specific techniques often serve as platforms from which artists launch innovation. While they provide a framework, they are inherently more fluid and open to subversion than in history.
Consider the Cubist movement, pioneered by artists like Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. By deliberately breaking with the conventions of linear perspective and realistic representation, Cubists revolutionized visual art. However, their work was still grounded in artistic discourse and conventions—they knew the rules well enough to break them meaningfully.
Here, WOKs such as imagination and emotion take center stage. Conventions in the arts can expand knowledge by challenging creators and audiences to reconsider what is meaningful, beautiful, or accurate. Rather than restricting, conventions can act as a shared cultural language, enabling more profound communication and engagement.
Paragraph 4: Counterclaim – Conventions in the Arts as Limiting
Yet, artistic conventions can become rigid and repressive, especially in authoritarian contexts. For example, under Soviet Socialist Realism, artists were bound by state-mandated conventions that dictated acceptable themes and styles. Innovation was not only discouraged but often punished.
This is illustrated by the fate of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, who had to balance his artistic integrity with the demands of state-imposed conventions. His Symphony No. 5 (1937) was framed as a “response to criticism,” subtly complying with conventions while embedding coded messages of dissent. In such cases, conventions can stifle creativity and limit the scope of knowledge that art can explore and communicate.
This tension reflects a broader epistemological dilemma: when conventions become instruments of power and censorship, they cease to be enabling frameworks and instead serve as constraints.
Paragraph 5: Synthesis – Dynamic Nature of Conventions
Conventions are not static—they evolve. Their flexibility or rigidity depends on context. When interpreted as guidelines rather than absolute rules, they tend to expand knowledge production. In history and the arts, critical engagement with conventions—rather than blind adherence or total rejection—is key to advancing knowledge.
For instance, postcolonial historiography and contemporary art practices often blend multiple conventions and challenge the dominant paradigms. Ai Weiwei’s installation works, which fuse political commentary, traditional Chinese aesthetics, and modern materials, exemplify this synthesis.
In both AOKs, the interplay between tradition and innovation—enabled by conventions—produces a richer epistemological landscape.
Conclusion
Ultimately, for historians and artists, conventions can limit and expand knowledge, depending on how they are applied. Conventions empower knowledge producers to build upon existing paradigms when used as tools for clarity, coherence and shared understanding. However, when enforced dogmatically or tied to systems of power, they may hinder alternative perspectives and restrict creativity. The ways of knowing—especially language, emotion, imagination, and reason—mediate how conventions are interpreted and utilized. Thus, the productive tension between structure and freedom lies at the heart of knowledge generation in history and the arts.
Works Cited
- Braudel, Fernand. The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II. Harper & Row, 1972.
- Gombrich, E.H. The Story of Art. Phaidon Press, 1950.
- Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. BBC and Penguin, 1972.
- Said, Edward. Orientalism. Pantheon, 1978.
- Figes, Orlando. Natasha’s Dance: A Cultural History of Russia. Picador, 2002.
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