Reimagining Oral History and its Role in Society
By Lewis Younie (@Lewis_Younie)
On 6th January, a mob invaded the United States Capitol building, the seat of their federal democracy. In response, historians informed the public about the deep roots which white supremacy had in motivating that insurrection. Over a thousand signed a letter, for example, calling for President Trump to resign due to his personal responsibility.[1] Historians owe it to the public to fulfil this function – a healthy society needs historical knowledge, and the online democratisation of this process has been vital. We use our expertise to help the public understand complex issues relating to our collective past which allows us to have a constructive conversation about identified problems. However, it is increasingly clear that historians are often not seen as experts providing vital context, but rather as elites dictating to the public. It is easy to see why sections of the public believe this – historians puncture myths which people are emotionally invested in.[2] The problem historians face is that our relationship with the public has faced trenchant attack – when Michael Gove famously stated that people ‘have had enough of experts’, he was not entirely wrong.[3] The natural response is to argue more forcefully. However, people will rarely become more engaged if told they are less intelligent or knowledgeable about a subject.
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