Your Stories as History

Photo by Joanna Kosinska

Autobiographical writing has benefits from two perspectives. On the one hand this genre provides an opportunity for individuals to synthesize and express what they have learned over a lifetime. On the other hand, personal reflections are valuable for families, communities and the greater public because they contribute to historical data and understanding of particular times and places.

Although life story writing is most popular among adults who range from mid-life to older adulthood, firsthand accounts from people of all ages are valuable. Through the insights and observations of everyday people we can gain clarity about the impact of a range of social, political and cultural issues. By validating these personal accounts we can eliminate information gaps, see a clearer picture and honour the lives of those sharing the information. 

Well-known autobiographies and memoirs show us that the voices of everyday people are relevant and important. Autobiographical works such as, The Diary of Anne Frank or Red China Blues by Jan Wong, provide us with firsthand observations of ordinary citizens who described the historic events they found themselves in. Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl growing up under the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands in the early 1940s, wrote a candid diary while in hiding over a two-year period. Jan Wong, a Canadian of Chinese descent, went to China in the early 1970s as an idealist supporter of the Maoist Communist Party. Her memoir describes her eventual disillusionment and rejection of Communism as she relates the harsh realities of her experiences in China.

Social historian, Jesse Lemisch, coined the term “history from the bottom up” in the late 1960s, and gave credence to reports of ordinary people’s insights and struggles by stating that they are central to our understanding of history. Instead of relying solely upon leaders, elites, institutions, experts and scholars, he saw that the general public had a vast storehouse of valid information. History is being made all around us and is especially palpable at this time of COVID-19 and increased political unrest. The stories we write about our lives today can help us clarify our thoughts and beliefs in the present and allow us to interpret these events for future generations.