Journal article 1257 views
On Writing Contemporary History
Martin Johnes 
North American Journal of Welsh Studies, Volume: 6, Issue: 1, Pages: 20 - 31
Swansea University Author:
Martin Johnes
Abstract
Hidden behind the finished products of history are long, painstaking processes of evaluating both sources and the narratives produced from them. All historians go through these processes but for contemporary historians they have unique dimensions. Rather than having to cope with a scant historical r...
| Published in: | North American Journal of Welsh Studies |
|---|---|
| Published: |
2011
|
| Online Access: |
http://welshstudiesjournal.org/article/view/11/7 |
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa31120 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Abstract: |
Hidden behind the finished products of history are long, painstaking processes of evaluating both sources and the narratives produced from them. All historians go through these processes but for contemporary historians they have unique dimensions. Rather than having to cope with a scant historical record, the contemporary historian is more likely to be overwhelmed with sources, forcing him/her into crucial decisions of selection. An author can also be very near to a topic and thus have strong preconceptions to overcome. Moreover, his/her subjects might still be alive which raises ethical questions about ownership of the past. This article addresses such issues, paying particular attention to how writers of surveys of contemporary history have tackled them. The solutions are often literary ones and, for all the problems of writing contemporary history, when done well it can be lively, entertaining, engaging, unsettling and provocative. |
|---|---|
| Keywords: |
methodology, archives, methods,Wales, history, historiography |
| College: |
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Issue: |
1 |
| Start Page: |
20 |
| End Page: |
31 |