Autobiographical Traditions in Egodocuments: Icelandic Literacy Practices

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Description

Using the Icelandic context, Sigurur Gylfi Magnsson examines egodocuments as distinct and fascinating manifestations of microhistory, reflecting on their nature, the circumstances in which they originated, and their strengths and weaknesses for scholarly research. Autobiographical Traditions in Egodocuments successfully makes the case for egodocuments being an intriguing part of the material culture of their time, with ample consideration given to the role of the book within individual households and the impact a source such as autobiography has had on peoples daily lives. Magnsson also provides an insightful historiographical account of how the egodocument has been used in historical works both in Iceland and elsewhere in the world since the 19th century.

Author Bio

Sigurur Gylfi Magnsson is Professor of Cultural History and Chair of the Center for Microhistorical Research at University of Iceland, Iceland. He has written 28 published books, including Archive, Slow Ideology and Egodocuments as Microhistorical Autobiography: Potential History (2021) and Emotional Experience and Microhistory (2020). He is also co-editor, with Istvn M. Szijrt, of the Microhistories book series.