War by nature often feels far away, and as time passes by the stories of these conflicts, some of which have been much closer to home, begin to fade away. The family stories get more distorted with time and for some families these stories fade away completely. Genealogy and the success of sites such as Ancestry and Find my Past, as well as the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are, people are thankfully trying to reconnect with their family history. But where does that leave us. It leaves us with the bulk of the knowledge that people need to interpret and inform their understanding of their family history, whether it be conflict or social or even where people lived, is in the minds and research of Historians.
The public generally want history, they lap up historical content, but they also want it to be “comfortable”. History is often uncomfortable and can shatter family tales, but it is in these uncomfortable moments that history can show us connections that we never thought possible. For many these uncomfortable moments are born from misconceptions, some from family histories, some from the public sphere, and some from their education. For historians, one key issue is to challenge these misconceptions, in a gentle manner, so that others are open to the alternatives that are being presented and not to feel inferior or stupid.
From me, I hope that I present these topics that I’ll be writing about in a way that doesn’t patronise or make people feel inferior. I do have a full-time job and other historical projects in the works so writings will be as and when I can. Please bare with me as I learn how to use this site.
Stuart
Major History 