<p> Dimensions of Causation: Immediate vs Underlying Causes</p><p>(This document is an excerpt from Teaching about Historical Thinking, written by Mike Denos and Roland Case, and edited by Peter Seixas and Penney Clark)</p><p>Looking for broad underlying factors is as or more important than identifying immediate particular causes. Any event will have particular immediate causes—for example, a car accident may be causes by slippery roads and a failure to use a turn signal to indicate an intended change of lanes. Behind these specific factors are found more fundamental influences—perhaps, a general recklessness on the part of drivers, a failure to maintain roads so they do not become greasy, a culture of speed that precipitates these kind of incidents. These broader influences are often referred to as underlying causes. These are explanatory concepts that relate to societal more generally. For example, historians’ efforts to uncover why the Potlatch was banned will go beyond the personal explanations of the Indian Commissioner and other individuals even though their expressed motives quite likely influenced their actions. Historians would want to examine the underlying factors behind mainstream resistance to the Potlatch. Perhaps, these motives stem from a desire by the majority of European culture to assimilate aboriginal culture. This might be traced to economic and social concerns associated with the impediments that Aboriginal title presented to western development. If First Nations peoples were assimilated then their demands for separate territory, self-government and economic rights would disappear.1</p><p>The criteria for Immediate Causes:  Immediate Causes are often the most obvious and easily identifiable.  Immediate Causes directly cause the event in question.  Often, the removal of the immediate cause will do little to prevent a similar event from occurring again. For this reason, immediate causes are often seen as being less important than underlying.</p><p>The criteria for Underlying Causes:  The underlying cause is usually less obvious and more difficult for the historian to identify  The underlying cause is often an underlying belief, ideal, or practice amongst a group of people, and not isolated to a single historical event.  Often, the removal of the underlying cause will prevent a similar event from occurring again. For this reason, underlying causes are often seen as being more important than immediate.</p><p>1 Denos, Mike, and Roland Case, edited by Peter Seixas and Penney Clark. Teaching about Historical Thinking. 1st ed. Vancouver, BC: The Critical Thinking Consortium, 2006.</p>