Ego-documents let us hear the voices of those who have been little heard in historiography. Such documents, especially when narrative in nature, provide insight into historical events and periods by illustrating how individuals—in correspondence with their own (in)actions, (in)decisions, and (mis)convictions as well as emotions, fears, aspirations, and frustrations—experienced and perceived these historical phenomena from a contemporary personal viewpoint. Since the revival of narrative historiography in the 1980s, partly in response to the Annales school, such documents have been increasingly recognized and employed as important historical sources. Nonetheless, the terminology for designating the generic nature and encompassing the diversity of such sources, as well as the methodology for historicizing them, remain under debate.

自我文件让我们听到了那些在史学中鲜为人知的声音。这些文件，尤其是在本质上是叙述性的，通过说明个人如何与他们自己的（in）行动、（in）决定和（错误）信念以及情感、恐惧、愿望、和挫折——从当代个人的角度体验和感知这些历史现象。自 1980 年代叙事史学复兴以来，部分是为了响应年鉴学派，此类文献越来越多地被认可并被用作重要的历史资料。尽管如此，用于指定通用性质和包含此类来源多样性的术语以及将它们历史化的方法仍在争论中。