Rollipõhist

Rollipõhist is a term occasionally used in Estonian-language scholarship to describe a historiographical approach that treats history as a dynamic, continuously evolving process rather than a fixed sequence of events. The compound form, combining rolli (rolling) and põhist (history or origin), signals an emphasis on fluidity, revision, and the ongoing integration of new evidence. It is a relatively informal term and is not yet standardized across reference works.

The central idea of rollipõhist is to apply rolling or sliding time perspectives, iterative reassessment of sources, and cross-source synthesis to produce histories that adapt as new material becomes available. In practice, work guided by rollipõhist principles may present timelines as evolving narratives, with annotations and interpretations revised in light of fresh archival finds or methodological advances rather than delivering a single, immutable account.

In fields such as digital humanities, contemporary historiography, and media studies, rollipõhist can inform the design of interactive timelines, “living” histories in online exhibits, and methodological discussions about how memory and history are reconstructed. The approach foregrounds process, correlation, and provisional causation, contingent on the available sources and interpretations at any given moment.

Critics warn that an excessive focus on continuity and fluidity can obscure discrete events and power dynamics, while proponents argue that rolling narratives better reflect actual historical practice, where interpretations evolve as evidence changes. As of now, there are no universally applied standards for rollipõhist, and its use remains uneven across disciplines.