Historiography is the study of the methodology of
historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians have studied that topic using particular sources, techniques, and theoretical approaches. Scholars discuss historiography by topic — such as the "
Historiography of the United Kingdom," the "
Historiography of Canada," "
Historiography of the British Empire", the "
historiography of early Islam", the "
historiography of China — and different approaches and genres, such as
political history and
social history. Beginning in the nineteenth century, with the ascent of
academic history, there developed a body of historiographic literature. The extent to which historians are influenced by their own groups and loyalties — such as
to their nation state — is a debated question.