or The Computer That Will Eat the Past
In the summer of 2006 I had the opportunity to interview a local historian from Lafontaine, Ontario. I was doing research for my thesis and also working for the park. The individual I met with was a wealth of information on the history of the Penetanguishene Peninsula and the Drummond Islanders who migrated to the town of Penetanguishene in the 1828. I have marked the locations I mention in Google Maps.
The interview went quite well. I gathered some useful information and also had a good chat with her on two of my favourite topics, education and philosophy. At the end of the interview I inquired about interview transcripts that she held at home. A number of years ago, she interviewed many of the elders in Lafontaine. Many of these people have already passed away and the transcripts provide valuable information into the history of the community. Knowing these transcripts would be useful, both for myself and the park, I asked if I could have copies. She said “No,” but I could use the newspaper articles produced using the information. I asked her what her reasons were and she replied “I don’t know.” I was not thrilled with this answer, however respected her decision. Perhaps it was because I was a representative of the government, or perhaps it was because I was not a member of the community. She was not, however, reluctant to talk about the interviews. I found out that the only copies of these were stored on an old computer in her basement. Concerned for their safety, I suggested that she should at least make copies of the transcripts and deposit them elsewhere in the community, such as the Penetanguishene Public Library, which already contains a substantial archival collection on local history. She did not like that idea either. Shortly thereafter, the interview was concluded and we parted on amiable terms.
Once in a while the memory of this meeting surfaces in my head. The woman I interviewed is an academically trained historian and published author. I believe she understands the importance of preserving history. However it is not pleasant to think about those transcripts of interviews with elders who have since passed on, languishing on an old computer, which could become non-functional at any time. I also find it troubling that she wants to retain such fierce control over the information she gathered.
This raises the question of who history belongs to. I would like to believe that it belongs to everyone. After all, it is human history and we are all human. Does this mean that anyone can study anything?
I neglected to mention that Lafontaine and Penetanguishene are Franco-Ontarian communities with a proud culture, heritage, and history. My interviewee may have construed my desire to obtain copies of the transcripts as a form of cultural appropriation. I can see some sense in this argument. I might have a different view due to my different cultural background. I will have a different view because of the way my thoughts are structured due to language. However, I think that history has a right to be preserved. If someone from a particular community or group (geographical, cultural, etc.) does not preserve their history, I think there is fair grounds for someone outside the group to do so. They must, of course, respect the people and subjects they are studying.
Having said this, I don’t think that studying a particular aspect of history should be limited to one group. After all, we now have many different schools of historiography. A social historian and a military historian looking studying life in Canada in 1941 are going to have different viewpoints. From these different viewpoints we are going to learn more about the aspect of history than we would if only one historian examined it, and even more than if it was not preserved at all.
As an afterthought, this brings to mind the different interpretations of historical events on Wikipedia that are determined by language. This was covered in one of this week’s readings: “For a Canadian Wikipedia” by John Jordan.
In the summer of 2006 I had the opportunity to interview a local historian from Lafontaine, Ontario. I was doing research for my thesis and also working for the park. The individual I met with was a wealth of information on the history of the Penetanguishene Peninsula and the Drummond Islanders who migrated to the town of Penetanguishene in the 1828. I have marked the locations I mention in Google Maps.
The interview went quite well. I gathered some useful information and also had a good chat with her on two of my favourite topics, education and philosophy. At the end of the interview I inquired about interview transcripts that she held at home. A number of years ago, she interviewed many of the elders in Lafontaine. Many of these people have already passed away and the transcripts provide valuable information into the history of the community. Knowing these transcripts would be useful, both for myself and the park, I asked if I could have copies. She said “No,” but I could use the newspaper articles produced using the information. I asked her what her reasons were and she replied “I don’t know.” I was not thrilled with this answer, however respected her decision. Perhaps it was because I was a representative of the government, or perhaps it was because I was not a member of the community. She was not, however, reluctant to talk about the interviews. I found out that the only copies of these were stored on an old computer in her basement. Concerned for their safety, I suggested that she should at least make copies of the transcripts and deposit them elsewhere in the community, such as the Penetanguishene Public Library, which already contains a substantial archival collection on local history. She did not like that idea either. Shortly thereafter, the interview was concluded and we parted on amiable terms.
Once in a while the memory of this meeting surfaces in my head. The woman I interviewed is an academically trained historian and published author. I believe she understands the importance of preserving history. However it is not pleasant to think about those transcripts of interviews with elders who have since passed on, languishing on an old computer, which could become non-functional at any time. I also find it troubling that she wants to retain such fierce control over the information she gathered.
This raises the question of who history belongs to. I would like to believe that it belongs to everyone. After all, it is human history and we are all human. Does this mean that anyone can study anything?
I neglected to mention that Lafontaine and Penetanguishene are Franco-Ontarian communities with a proud culture, heritage, and history. My interviewee may have construed my desire to obtain copies of the transcripts as a form of cultural appropriation. I can see some sense in this argument. I might have a different view due to my different cultural background. I will have a different view because of the way my thoughts are structured due to language. However, I think that history has a right to be preserved. If someone from a particular community or group (geographical, cultural, etc.) does not preserve their history, I think there is fair grounds for someone outside the group to do so. They must, of course, respect the people and subjects they are studying.
Having said this, I don’t think that studying a particular aspect of history should be limited to one group. After all, we now have many different schools of historiography. A social historian and a military historian looking studying life in Canada in 1941 are going to have different viewpoints. From these different viewpoints we are going to learn more about the aspect of history than we would if only one historian examined it, and even more than if it was not preserved at all.
As an afterthought, this brings to mind the different interpretations of historical events on Wikipedia that are determined by language. This was covered in one of this week’s readings: “For a Canadian Wikipedia” by John Jordan.
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