Ringelblum and the Óneg Shabat Archive: a historiographical perspective ahead of its time

Abstract

The present article analyzes the work of the historian Emanuel Ringelblum in the World War II, on the Underground Archive of the Warsaw Ghetto’s construction –the Óneg Shabat-. Ringeblum’s work could be considered as an ancestor in the historiographical turn occurred during the second half of the 20th century.

As can be observed, the historian life story, his academic background and his active involvement in the Poale Sion’s movement- was decisive in the way of thinking the Óneg Shabat’s project. Inspired on the YIVO’s historiographical perspective, clearly opposed to the 20th century’s Jewish historiography, Ringelblum understood the study of history like a collective and democratic construction, paying more attention to the social history and to the anonymous and ordinary man’s testimony. This point of view also needed new sources. Therefore, in addition to encourage the conservation of all materials and documents that reflect life in Jewish communities, Ringelblum added the oral sources as a part of written history. Óneg Shabat team members carried out interviews, later transcribed, and by this they gave historical voice whom hadn’t it before, turning into discourse a memory based on an experience. With the project Óneg Shabat, Ringelblum was ahead of current historiographical trends, making “history from below”, “Alltagsgeschichte” and “oral history” at the same time.