Read on Twitter
When you research a life there is a remarkable sense of ownership - of which I admit, I have been a little guilty of at times but I recognise that. @JuliaLaite in her recent article for the Journal of Social History talks of commodifying individual lives...
And that the ‘relationships’ we establish with these long gone people is actually one way. They aren’t grateful for being researched, they’re dead. And would they want to be, in some cases?
Nat’a story I’ve known for a decade and his love of cemeteries and history, coupled with my research, makes him feel like he’s a friend in another time. Romantic as that is, as a historian I should probably know better.
I think also - and many guides and cemeteries are guilty of this - just because you research someone, it doesn’t mean you *own* them. The countless times someone of note has been found and the person keeps all the knowledge to themselves. What does that achieve?
Gatekeeping is important for heritage but sometimes it can veer a little too far. This isn’t solely a cemetery problem, it’s very widespread. Share what you find or at least signpost so others can have the joy of discovering what you did but under their own steam.
I’d love to hear what you make of it - academics, queer history peeps, tour guides, hobbyists, writers. We all deal with this kind of thing as we research or read around a subject.
‘You don’t own history, you own arguments’. The other half deftly adds his tuppence to the debate.
