ABSTRACT

Family history research has become one of the most popular pastimes in the world due to digital advances and the resulting democratization of historical records. For many, family history research is a heuristic in which to make empathetic connections with their ancestors they will never (and can never) meet due to the barriers of temporal, geographical and intergenerational distance. The resulting family histories reconstruct and re-tell social history through the micro-historical lens of the individual. It has been claimed that this intimate connection between researchers and their familial narrative can heighten empathetic responses and lead to interpretations and assumptions beyond the evidence. This paper examines this proposition by analyzing qualitative data drawn from a large survey that examined the beliefs and practices of Australian family historians. The data supported their use of historical imagination as a catalyst for historical interpretation and meaning-making, and the well-established Ashby and Lee’s (1987) stages of historical empathy was used to gauge depth of understanding. The research concludes that for many family history researchers, micro-narratives of their ancestors evoked a wide range of empathetic responses ranging from the elementary to the nuanced and sophisticated.

摘要

由于数字技术的进步和由此产生的历史记录的民主化，家族史研究已成为世界上最受欢迎的消遣之一。对许多人来说，家族史研究是一种启发式方法，可以与由于时间、地理和代际距离的障碍而永远（也永远不会）见面的祖先建立同理心的联系。由此产生的家族史通过个体的微观历史镜头重建和重新讲述社会历史。有人声称，研究人员与其家庭叙事之间的这种密切联系可以增强移情反应，并导致超出证据的解释和假设。本文通过分析从一项对澳大利亚家庭历史学家的信仰和实践进行的大型调查中提取的定性数据来检验这一命题。数据支持他们使用历史想象作为历史解释和意义制定的催化剂，并且使用完善的 Ashby 和 Lee (1987) 阶段的历史移情来衡量理解深度。研究得出的结论是，对于许多家族史研究人员来说，他们祖先的微观叙述引起了广泛的移情反应，从基本到细微和复杂。阿什比和李 (1987) 的历史移情阶段被用来衡量理解的深度。研究得出的结论是，对于许多家族史研究人员来说，他们祖先的微观叙述引起了广泛的移情反应，从基本到细微和复杂。阿什比和李 (1987) 的历史移情阶段被用来衡量理解的深度。研究得出的结论是，对于许多家族史研究人员来说，他们祖先的微观叙述引起了广泛的移情反应，从基本到细微和复杂。