ERIC Number: EJ1354212
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0030-9230
EISSN: EISSN-1477-674X
"I Am F. B.": Historians, Ethics and the Anonymisation of Autobiographical Sources
Nys, Laura
Paedagogica Historica: International Journal of the History of Education, v58 n3 p424-438 2022
For historians studying socially and historically marginalised groups, archives of disciplinary institutions often contain a range of valuable sources, some of which are autobiographical in nature. However, when using these intimate sources, researchers must fulfil legal requirements to comply with various norms on privacy protection. This balancing act between giving voice to vulnerable groups and respecting their privacy gives rise to several ethical dilemmas. This article provides a framework to assess the balance between privacy protection and the disclosing of names. It starts with a discussion concerning the methodological implications of anonymisation. It then discusses four issues pertaining to privacy protection when using autobiographical material from institutionalised individuals: (1) Can naming cause harm to living persons? (2) Can naming fight social stigma? (3) Does anonymisation make people invisible? (4) Does naming violate the posthumous privacy of the deceased? I use my own research on autobiographical documents of juvenile delinquents in Belgium (1890-1960) as a case study.
Descriptors: Historians, Ethics, Autobiographies, Case Studies, Social Bias, Juvenile Justice, Foreign Countries, Privacy, Disadvantaged, Information Sources, Primary Sources, Guidelines, Naming, History, Disclosure
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Belgium
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A