The presentation considers the evolution of South African historiography from the 'settler' school of George McCall Theal and George Cory to the 'revisionist' consensus of the present day. Particularly close attention will be paid to the notion that there has been a 'historiographical revolution' over the past generation, separating modern historians from their predecessors. The presentation will consider the claim as it pertains to the categories of subject matter, methodology and interpretation, and will consider how the iconic historians of the last century plus (Theal, Cory, Macmillan, Walker, De Kiewiet, the 'liberal Africanists', the 'neo-Marxists') have defined and tackled these fundamental questions of history writing. Both similarities and differences in their approaches will be identified. On the basis of the differences identified, the paper asks whether a revision of our present historiographical classifications is required. Meanwhile, considering the similarities that unite the schools, the paper seeks to define what the paradigm is that historians of South Africa as a whole share, transcending the divisions of the schools.