Ego-documents as an Object of Historical Research: Origins and Evolution of Approaches

The purpose of this article is to trace the evolution of research approaches to ego-documents in the historical scholarship, from their philosophical origins up to contemporary interdisciplinary practices. The relevance of this topic stems from the growing interest for ego-documents in the modern historical scholarship, which views them as key sources to study subjectivity, everyday life, and identity. It has been stated that methodological foundations for incorporating ego-documents into the historical discourse lie in such philosophical movements as hermeneutics, phenomenology, and narrative theory of identity. They have shaped approaches to ego-documents as special sources of historical knowledge, enabling an in-depth analysis of past events through individual texts and meanings. The “Annales” school made a special contribution to the restructuring of the research paradigm, shifting the focus from the event-based history and descriptions of lives of “individuals” to the mentality and everyday life of ordinary people. The German-language Alltagsgeschichte School and the microhistorical approach shaped the core methods of working with personal testimonies. Russian researchers’ rejection of ideologically driven Soviet paradigms resulted in their turn to the study of ego documents, borrowing terminology and approaches from everyday history and microhistory and developing their own practices for working with these sources. The article identifies the prospects for using personal sources in researches, consisting in consolidation of social sciences and humanities and further digitalization of research methods.

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