historythat

historythat is a term used in discussions of how historical knowledge is organized and presented. It denotes a framework that foregrounds the causal connections between events, rather than presenting isolated entries, and seeks to render history as a network of interdependent developments rather than a linear chronology.

The term appears in digital history and speculative historiography discussions in the early 2020s. The coinage combines 'history' with 'that' to signal the selection of events and the explicit signaling of relations among them.

historythat structures content around narrative threads or trees, each thread tracing a chain of cause and effect. It emphasizes source annotations, evidentiary linkages, and transparency about choices. It often employs branching timelines, visualization tools, and modular modules that allow readers to explore alternative paths.

historythat is used by educators and designers of museum exhibits, online learning platforms, and digital humanities projects to present counterfactuals, microhistories, or regionally focused narratives. It aims to make historiography more participatory and adaptable to diverse audiences.

Critics warn that historythat can risk subjectivity and oversimplification when complex causation is compressed into navigable paths. Critics also note accessibility challenges for readers unfamiliar with non-linear narratives.

Related topics include historiography, digital history, narrative history, and data visualization.