Az Én történelme. A Történelem migráns magyarok visszaemlékezéseiben
The History of the Self. History in the Recollections of Hungarian Migrants

Summary/Abstract: Through the analysis of life history narratives the authors show the different ways in which historical references can play a part in identity formation. History is not a stage, where life takes place, but an actor itself, to which the self relates in one way or another. Through this relationship the narrative construction of history becomes part of the construction of the self, that is, the localization of history is at the same time the localization of the self, and the other way around. Questions referring to history are posed from the point of view of the temporal and spatial location of the self, hence such localization practices are the objects of the inquiry. The historical modality of time became apparent primarily as a result of the declaration of the end of an era. The temporal localization through the concept of the era ensures the representativity of the self, at the same time allowing for the personal-personalized construction of History. Regarding the spatial dimension of localization, the study demonstrates that the placement of the self is possible not only in History, that is, History is more than a simple background for the events of life history. The authors identify three localization practices; however, the internalization, the personification and the banalization-fatalization of history are far from covering the entire range of practices applied in invoking history. Still, their significance goes beyond their unique application discussed here. These discursive techniques are cultural procedures that can form subjects of inquiry in a number of fields of life.

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