Ethical Use of Historical Sources

Summary

The ethical use of historical sources is an increasingly prominent topic of discussion among historians and archivists. Ever more digitization of source material and consequent accessibility of historical archives means that the question of what historians owe to the dead who are their historical subjects has become relevant to an increasing number of scholars in the field but particularly for those writing the histories of marginalized communities, such as people with disabilities. These discussions tend to focus on the language of rights and duties. Using the case study of the PIN 26 archive of British First World War personal pension files, this article argues that an approach which focuses on the risks and mitigations of using archival sources is also useful. Such an approach centers on the balance to be struck between the rights of the historian to academic freedom and the rights of the historical subject to dignity and privacy. Achieving such a balance requires a dynamic approach to ethical considerations of historical sources, one which can be supported by the process of undertaking ethical review as a standard part of project development and ongoing research.