ISSUES IN INTEGRATIVE STUDIES No. 16, pp. 31-55 (1998)
Narrating Enlightenment: Oral History and Civil Society After Hitler by Andrew Stuart Bergerson
Department of History Franklin & Marshall College for Thekla The tendency of all opinions to become sectarian is not cured by the freest discussion, but is often heightened and exacerbated thereby; the truth which ought to have been, but was not, seen, being rejected all the more violently because [it was] proclaimed by persons regarded as opponents. - John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, 1859 If you want a democratic process, not just findings on the part of the researcher but social change and a human encounter, then you will also have to ‘out’ yourself—be able to ‘out’ yourself—openly, searchingly, personally, but not objectively… – Heide Kaiser, 1998 Abstract: Does oral history promote liberal values? civic virtues? This paper will explore the contemporary role of narrative interviews, a core method within the everyday life history movement in Central Europe (Alltagsgeschichte). Reflecting back on a series of interviews I conducted on the Nazi past in 1992-94 in Hildesheim, this paper will show that I and my interview partners responded to the authenticity of this encounter by judging each other categorically. This