Abstract
Sofia Avgeri
Democritus University of Thrace
From “learning” to the “creation” of history. An oral history program on the Bulgarian occupation with high school students
Based on a theoretical discussion on the use of oral history and ethnographic methods in the teaching of history, the paper will present a project carried out by high school students of Xanthi (Thrace) during the school year 2010-2011, in the framework of a cultural program entitled “Learning local history through the eyes of the elderly”. Pupils with different ethnic and local backgrounds interviewed elderly individuals who had lived through the Bulgarian Occupation of Thrace. The interviews led them to new insights on the period, but also concerning the credibility of oral evidence and the particular vision of each informant. In this way they acquired a better understanding of the period but also of the significance of adopting a critical attitude towards any historical evidence.
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