"I Didn't Do Anything Important": A Pragmatist Analysis of the Oral History Interview

In the course of gathering oral histories from women who served in the Navy and Coast Guard during World War II, an unusual conversational pattern has emerged. The women almost invariably diminish the importance of their wartime contributions; a common refrain is "I didn't do anything impo...

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Veröffentlicht in:The Oral History Review. - Taylor & Francis, Ltd.. - 36(2009), 1, Seite 25-44
1. Verfasser: Ryan, Kathleen M. (VerfasserIn)
Format: Online-Aufsatz
Sprache:English
Veröffentlicht: 2009
Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk:The Oral History Review
Schlagworte:History Behavioral sciences Social sciences Political science Philosophy Arts
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520 |a In the course of gathering oral histories from women who served in the Navy and Coast Guard during World War II, an unusual conversational pattern has emerged. The women almost invariably diminish the importance of their wartime contributions; a common refrain is "I didn't do anything important." Their individual experiences, as revealed during the interviews, belie that assertion. In this paper, I will use the women's words to parse what is meant by this rhetorical move. Do the women really believe they did not do anything important? If so, why do they find it necessary to participate in the very public process of oral history, placing their names and life stories within the historical record? Considering both the content and the context of the women's words from a feminist pragmatist philosophical base will help explain this seemingly incongruent act. This article demonstrates that the women do not really mean to belittle their life experiences (and military service), but instead are using the phrase as a way to acknowledge society's expectations. The oral history interview, meanwhile, is used by the women to not only place their experience into the historical record but also to affirm the importance of their wartime work. 
540 |a Copyright © 2009 Oxford University Press 
650 4 |a History  |x Historical methodology  |x Historiography  |x Oral history 
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650 4 |a Social sciences  |x Population studies  |x Human populations  |x Persons  |x Women 
650 4 |a Social sciences  |x Population studies  |x Human populations  |x Persons  |x Women  |x Working women 
650 4 |a Political science  |x Military science  |x Armed conflict  |x War  |x War theaters  |x World wars 
650 4 |a Philosophy  |x Metaphilosophy  |x Western philosophy  |x American philosophy  |x Pragmatism 
650 4 |a Arts  |x Literature  |x Literary elements  |x Narrative point of view  |x Narrators 
650 4 |a Political science  |x Military science  |x Armed forces  |x Navies 
650 4 |a Social sciences  |x Gender studies  |x Feminism 
650 4 |a Social sciences  |x Communications  |x Interviews  |x Recorded interviews 
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