My Family History: the Past and the Present

Abstract

ABSTRACT The micro, meso, and macro levels of family history have been examined in qualitative and quantitative research in diverse ways. This article mainly examines a micro-level family history, specifically my early experience, in a narrative, retrospective and reflective manner. As the eldest son of my family, I review and (re)write my family stories after my ancestors’ land was lost. This research asserts that we are in the endless process of creating family history that forms the foundation of our understanding of the world, and that from this starting point, we continuously create and recreate ourselves. We write about our family history to better understand the past and to live well at present and contribute to the process of knowledge making for the well-being of the human species.