Introducing the historian to history: Autobiographical performances in historical texts

摘要

Recent theoretical developments in the historical field have led historians increasingly to use the 'personal' in historical scholarship. This essay explores one manifestation of this new turn, the autobiographical introduction, to consider how and why historians have decided to become more prominent in the texts they produce. Using a range of examples from various historical fields, this essay argues that autobiographical performances produce an illusion of subjectivity but can never fully allow the 'complete' historian to intrude into the text. I consider how these introductions function in historical scholarship, analysing in particular how autobiographical acts can provide a forum for marginalized groups to gain a voice in academia, before considering what future the autobiographical introduction has in historical scholarship.