History: A Family Affair
Problem Statement
There is no singular, objective account of history. This should not come as a surprise to us. In the same way that a story changes depending on who’s telling it, history (and the way we learn and engage with it) is no different. While oral history traditions have embraced this fact for centuries, not claiming one “truth”, most textbooks, on the other hand, aim to delineate history as a single irrefutable account. So how exactly does the way we learn history change across time and place? And what are the implications of these shifts?
Course & Timeline
Decoloniality, Fall 2021 | 4 weeks
I set out to explore the notion of history as a fluid narrative further, by way of analyzing history through the lens of three generations in my own family. Spanning four countries and a wide array of formal and informal education, I was interested in the inevitable differences in interpretation and understanding of history across family members. In particular, I wanted to hone in on how we learn about the Holocaust, since it is a moment in history that not only has a huge personal significance for my family, but also one that has greatly changed in discourse across both time and place.
In addition to a written analysis, I designed an exploratory print piece that begins forming connections and differences in understanding and perception across the three generations.
