Efecto de la adición de leche fermentada con gránulo CIDCA AGK1 en la estabilidad de la Arepa

A significantly different approach can be found by reflecting once more on the initial questions

212

Tamara Hareven, "The Search for Generation Memory," in Oral History: An Interdisciplinary Anthology, ed. David King Dunaway, Willa K. Baum, and American Association for State and Local History, American Association for State and Local

History Book Series (Walnut Creek: Alta Mira Press, 1996). p.247

213

Ibid. p.147

214

Barbara W. Sommer and Mary Kay Quinlan, The Oral History Manual, American Association for State and Local History Book Series (Walnut Creek: AltaMira Press, 2002). p.1

59 of this research. What do diaries and letters show us? The frame of the project is a rather narrow window in three aspects: time, from 1840-1860; location, Nelson, Wellington, and New Plymouth; and social grouping, early New Zealand Company settlers and Māori. Taking this narrow frame into account, it is valuable to explore the methodology of Microhistory which is a method of close investigation of a rather constricted field; the scale of focus is often narrow and has a connection to personal and intimate material.215 Microhistory focuses more commonly on everyday life than the great World History. Michael Fairburn points out that its

characteristics are its close-grained investigations of the symbolic system of small groups or marginal 'voiceless' people; its reliance of self-descriptive literature as source material … most important of all, its self-conscious attempt to see things from the 'natives’' point of view, to grasp their alien patterns of perception, and to discern the ruptures and irregularities within these patterns.216

Microhistory, like Oral History, developed initially in Europe in the 1970-1980s taking a stand

against the movements of great social trends and in favour of a society with a face.217 It is now seen as “the flagship of contemporary social historians”.218 Widely used in Italy and Germany, but less in the USA and British Commonwealth, and quite recently finding more scholars in Iceland, it found increasing popularity in the context of the connection of Social Science, Anthropology and History.219 Giovanni Levi, as one of the ‘founding figures’ of the movement, points out that Microhistory has its roots in Marxism and the political orientation to the left.220 Single first attempts at writing history in the new format were made in the circles of Surrealists and developed further with the new way of thinking about society and the re- emerging idea of ‘Gemeinschaft’ [Community]. Influential thinkers in this direction of personal freedom and the fragmentation of the human existence in the process of the new capitalist societies include the likes of George Lukas and Walter Benjamin, as well as Michael de Certeau of the Situationist International Movement.221 It is even more exciting to note a refreshing

215

For further reading about Microhistory and its development: Carlo Ginzburg, John Tedeschi, and Anne C. Tedeschi, "Microhistory: Two or Three Things That I Know About It," Critical Inquiry 20, no. 1 (1993).

216

Fairburn, Nearly out of Heart and Hope: The Puzzle of a Colonial Labourer's Diary. p.21

217

Peter Burke, "Overture: The New History, Its Past and Its Future," in New Perspectives on Historical Writing, ed. Peter Burke (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1991). p.19

218

István Szijártó, "Four Arguments for Microhistory," Rethinking History: The Journal of Theory and Practice 6, no. 2 (2001). p.209

219

Scholars in the field of Microhistory for example are: David Bell, Brad Gregory, John Demons, Laurek Thatcher Ulrich, Robert Darton, Natalie Zemon Davis, Le Roy Ladurie, Carlyn Steeman, Roland Fraser, Gene Brucker, Judith Brown, Carlo Ginzberg, Govannie Levi, Davis Seban, Hans Medick, Alf Luedke, Richard Kagan, and István Szijártó.

220

Giovanni Levi, "On Microhistory," in New Perspectives on Historical Writing, ed. Peter Burke (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1991). p.94

221

John Brewer, Microhistory and the Histories of Everyday Life, vol. 2010, Cas® E Series (München: Ludwig-Maximilians- Universität München ,Center for Advanced Studies, 2010). p.4

60 modern approach to Microhistory and a developing world network in a time that engages with ideas other than those of Communism.222

As already indicated, Microhistory is an approach that is difficult to define especially because it is more about a particular attitude than an exact way of doing things. István Szijártó has tried to define the main elements of a micro-historical approach. Firstly Szijártó emphasises the new perspective on historical events that the micro approach offers. As a result of the micro approach, he argues, history could become far more interesting because it should be readable by the public and not just by a group of historians.223 Secondly the so called ‘little facts’ given in the narrow field of study create a ‘reality effect’ which according to Siegfried Kracauer gives a more authentic history in the context of Microhistory.224 Levi insists that

Microhistory has the power to reveal outcomes and effects previously unknown and hidden

from others. Historians like Hans Medick seem to agree.225 Thirdly Microhistory can “convey the lived experience to the reader directly on the micro-level of everyday life.”226 With the change of perspective, things initially assumed unimportant, suddenly become objects of observation and can be understood differently. The possible new results can be used to draw generalisations.227 Juergen Kocka, in contrast to Levi, warns about the ‘Klein-Klein’ [small – small] approach of Microhistory.228 However, Levi says that it is about investigating on a small scale not just about looking at something that seems small and likely unimportant.

The advantages of this approach varied, but most importantly Microhistory, with its narrow focus is always expandable and “never isolated from the level of general, and will always have a bearing to that.”229 _{Practical Microhistory needs to be seen as a reduction of the field of}

222

New Internet platforms for Microhistory have recently developed and enable scholars around the world to exchange ideas. For example: "Microhistory," The Center for Microhistorical Research, Reykjavik Academy,

http://www.microhistory.org accessed 15/05/12.

Sigurdur Gylfi Magnusson, "What Is Microhistory?," George Mason University History News Network,

www.http://hnn.us/articles/23720.html accessed 17/06/2012.

"Microhistory Network," Eötvös University, Budapest, http://microhistory.eu/home.html accessed 15/05/2012.

223

Szijártó, "Four Arguments for Microhistory." p.210

224

Siegfried Kracauer, Geschichte: Von Den Letzten Dingen, Siegfried Kracauer Schriften Bd 4 (Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp, 1971). p.115

225

Levi, "On Microhistory." p.97

Hans Medick, "Mikro- Historie," in Sozialgeschichte, Alltagsgeschichte, Mikro- Historie: Eine Diskussion, ed. Winfried Schulze (Goettingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1994).

226

Szijártó, "Four Arguments for Microhistory." p.210

227

Levi, "On Microhistory." p.98

228

Juergen Kocka, "Sozialgeschichte Zwischen Struktur Und Erfahrung: Die Herausforderung Der Alltagsgeschichte," in

Geschichte Und Aufklaerung, ed. Juergen Kocka (Goettingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1989). p.42f.

229

61 observation with a microscopic analysis and, according to Levi, “an intensive study of the documentary material.”230

Taking all these thoughts into consideration, Microhistory as a methodological approach seems beneficial for this project. For this study it seems that the consideration of the lived reality of Microhistory is a most important tool. The letters and diaries of settlers tell us about the lived reality with Māori from a settler perspective. It is the history of everyday life, the ‘Altagsgeschichten’, as pointed out by Norbert Elias, that makes history even more interesting, and that forms the core field of examination of this project.231 The detailed stories told by settlers will give the reader the ‘little facts’ which are so central according to Kracauer. Given the nature and geographical situation of this research, readers in New Zealand and the Pacific will be able to connect with the new findings and knowledge that are presented in this research. The change in perspective, to a micro level that is easily accessible and outside of academia, this project seeks be shared with the community [beyond academia]. This aspect of sharing and accessibility, as a central point of indigenous research methodologies, centres this research in the indigenous context and in the context of Linda Smith’s Decolonisation Theories.232

Microhistory is very suitable if looking at topics like minorities, ethnicity, race, and gender and

these will be partially addressed in this project. 233 Alison Holland also pointed out that the use of Microhistory is not widely developed by historians in the field of colonial studies, but it would be beneficial to discover whether small scale stories can easily “confirm conclusions on a bigger scale.”234 _{Furthermore, Microhistory seems to be the right framework for this}

research project because a micro-historical approach is now possible due to the transformation in the operations of archives during the last few years. Projects like this are mainly built on archive material which previously was unknown or untraceable but can, due to new technologies, now be found.235 Settlers’ letters and diaries, particularly in the ATL, are well documented and have links and keywords to connect to other material which enables the research to sweep a broader field of material. For this project material has been retrieved that

230

Levi, "On Microhistory." p.95

231

Norbert Elias, "Zum Begriff Des Alltags," in Materialien Zur Soziologie Des Alltag, ed. K.Hammerich and M.Klein (Opladen: Westdeutscher Verlag, 1978).

232

Smith, Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. p.160f.

233

For example: Magnusson, "What Is Microhistory?".

234

Alison Holland, "Conclusion," in Rethinking the Racial Moment: Essays on the Colonial Encounter, ed. Alison Holland and Barbara Brookes (Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Pub., 2011). p.256

235

62 was ignored by previous scholars, enabling deeper and different insights into the lives of settlers and their interactions with Māori.