Orthoptera
18th September 2007, 09:24 PM
An interesting article from MSNBC about the problematic nature of oral histories: The Veterans History Project, sponsored by the Library of Congress, has discovered the lesson most people learn on a barstool: men (mostly in this case) make up heroic stories about themselves. It's a good reminder about the limits of anecdote in history and, of course, everywhere else.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20853588/
A seven-year, multimillion-dollar effort by the Library of Congress to gather American veterans’ personal war stories is peppered with inaccurate information and fraudulent claims of heroism, critics say, casting doubt on its value as a historical record.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20853588/
A seven-year, multimillion-dollar effort by the Library of Congress to gather American veterans’ personal war stories is peppered with inaccurate information and fraudulent claims of heroism, critics say, casting doubt on its value as a historical record.