ABSTRACT

This article will explore the relationship between the emotions of family history and the development of historical knowledge using surveys conducted with family historians in Australia, Canada and Britain since 2016. Many family historians begin to produce their family histories because they ‘owe’ their ancestors the benefit of their research skills, historical knowledge and the time it takes to reveal their life stories. Their emotional connection to the past is key to the development of their historical knowledge. I demonstrate some of the different ways in which family history allows researchers to use social history to link the past to the present in powerful ways, transforming individuals’ understandings of themselves and the wider world.

摘要

自2016年以来，本文将通过与澳大利亚，加拿大和英国的家庭历史学家进行的调查，探索家庭历史的情感与历史知识发展之间的关系。许多家庭历史学家开始产生他们的家庭历史，因为他们“欠”他们的祖先。受益于他们的研究技能，历史知识以及揭示他们生活经历的时间。他们与过去的情感联系是其历史知识发展的关键。我演示了家庭历史允许研究人员利用社会历史以有力的方式将过去与现在联系起来的各种不同方式，从而改变了人们对自己和更广阔世界的理解。