Speaking from the Centre or the Margins? Conversations between Quaker and non-Quaker Historical Narratives

Abstract

This essay surveys some of the changes in Quaker history over the past twenty years, specifically focussing on the conversations between the centres and margins within Quaker history and between Quaker and non-Quaker historical narratives. It points to spaces for greater inclusion of voices from the edges of Quaker history, whether geographic peripheries or subsidiary periods, and argues for even more dynamic exchanges between Quaker and mainstream histories, noting the contribution each makes to the other. The essay also explores the unique and important contribution of Quaker archivists to the work of Quaker historians.