Emerging questions in family history studies

Abstract

We asked an interdisciplinary group of researchers in family history to respond to a number of key questions about the past, present, and future of family history practice and scholarship. They revealed shared concerns around the devaluing of family history practice and scholarship by academics, the political uses and negative consequences of DNA and genealogical descent – especially with regard to Indigenous peoples, hierarchies of scientific and humanistic knowledge, and numerous barriers to collaboration. Others expressed excitement at the potential benefits of working with heritage institutions and diverse communities on shared projects with enormous creative potential to expand our definition of what history is and what it might be. The responses were initially to the following methodological questions: