Defining “historical context” may lead one to focus on the word “historical,” however the true focus should be set on the word “context,” because it is the noun of the saying while “historical” is just the descriptor. Context defines the time in which something occurs. Claude Bélanger, a professor for Marianopolis College, explains that context “is understood as the events, or the climate of opinion, that surround the issue at hand.” Now with context defined, “historical” gives meaning. Adding in the descriptor, “historical context” can be broken down to the study of past events from a perspective of which it occurred. Using Bélanger’s definition, further meaning can be derived by constructing this definition: “Historical context” is the understanding
