Local History with Archivistics

Local history is history from below or from within, in a geographically local context. It is a sub-field with long and rich traditions in Norway, among skilled historians as well as amateur historians. Introduction to themes and practices within local history is a part of this course. The aim is to provide an introduction to different ways to study the history of local communities: one approach focuses on the history of the local community in its own right, another takes a more general perspective, where the local community serves as a point of departure for studying larger historical processes, nationally or globally. The course introduces how to study different units of society, from the family or household, to the rural community, the town or the region, to intertwined local history. The course also focuses on cultural heritage in a local context. The course will provide an introduction to archive search and collecting of different types of source material that are commonly used in local history research, and training in use of primary sources in assignments. Examples and source material will be from the period after ca. 1600 and up to present times.

A candidate who passes this course is expected to have the following learning outcome according to the course curriculum, defined as knowledge and skills:

Knowledge

The candidate has basic knowledge of

• local history as historical discipline and practice
• different kinds of historical research using local communities as framework
• history of relevance for researching local communities
• cultural heritage in a local context
• archives and their organisation, retrieval and use of sources relevant for historical research on local communities
• collecting data by registrations and interviews

Skills

The candidate

• can apply theories on local history to understand and evaluate concrete studies
• can apply theories and concrete knowledge of historical relevant subjects to do research of local character
• has basic skills in analysing cultural heritage in different local contexts
• can find and utilise relevant sources for research on historical topics
• has basic skills in collecting data and conducting interviews
• has qualifications to take part in local historical work

Lectures, seminars, and excursions. Mandatory exercise in archive search and source work, and a semester assignment.