It is said that ‘victors write the history books’ – that the dominant group shapes the historical narrative and record, flattering itself and distorting or excluding (intentionally or otherwise) the perspectives of any other groups. And often, this is true. An excellent example is World War II – not only are there no significant advocates of the Nazi or Imperial Japanese causes, but the contributions of the United States have been made to eclipse or replace those of our allies. Recent films such as U-571 and Monuments Men replace heroic British figures with Americans, and American battles like the D-Day invasion are remembered while pivotal Soviet engagements like the battle of Stalingrad are ignored or downplayed. And while sometimes this impulse can be defended – the slow dismantling of slavery in world history was of utmost importance and the architects and advocates of its destruction are justified in dismissing counterarguments – most cases are not so clear. So having many voices is vital to understand history as it really happened.
Modern universities try to correct this trend through inclusion of diverse perspectives and authors. Since each of us has a part of the truth, but not all of it, it is hearing multiple voices that helps us see the whole picture. The impulse behind ‘heritage’ months such as May’s celebration of Asian/Pacific American culture is similar – to highlight history that might otherwise be ignored or lost.
Diversity is an issue to be intentionally considered as you’re doing library research. Many databases cover history, from America: History and Life to ProQuest History to Britannica Online. These are great databases, but taken as a whole, they can over-represent the majority view. Fortunately, there are a number of useful alternatives.
IU East has recently renewed several of the ‘Facts On File’ series of databases from Infobase Publishing. These include flagship databases like American History Online, Modern World History Online, and Ancient and Medieval History Online, but also numerous databases that focus on marginalized and overlooked groups, highlighting their insights and contributions, such as African-American History Online, American Women’s History Online (recently reformatted as a subset of AHO), and American Indian History Online. All of these databases offer ebooks, primary sources, images, videos, biographies, maps, and timelines. They are cross searchable, helping you draw sources together rather than leaving these perspectives segregated. And all feature the rigorous scholarship that makes library sources so much better than most of the free internet.
Try one for your next history project; if you need any help, we invite you to ask us! iueref@iue.edu