Methods of writing social history

On June 9, 2011, Professor Ho Tai Tue Tam (Department of History - Harvard University) gave a presentation, exchange, and discussion on methods of writing social history with faculty and students of the university.Through vivid and specific examples, Professor Ho Tai Tue Tam discussed in detail issues related to local history and globalization in the ancient and medieval periods, such as: methods of interviewing to understand biographies, using the concept of globalization to look back at the ancient and medieval periods... Sharing experiences in practical research, the Professor offered some caution when interviewing others to understand their biographies, as there may be misunderstandings due to inaccurate or incomplete recollections by those providing information, especially older people who often do not remember the exact dates. In addition, the Professor also noted that when using memoirs to understand biographies, memoirs may only describe or recount events, but the specific details and developments of those events are rarely mentioned. Therefore, when studying and researching through memoirs, it is important to ask questions related to the process and manner of each event and incident. Professor Ho Tai Hue Tam emphasized that writing social history is about ordinary people in society; social history has a broad scope, but the issues raised are very specific and require questioning during the research and investigation. Professor Ho Tai Hue Tam has spent many years researching and teaching at Harvard University (USA), specializing in modern Vietnamese history. His most recently published book is "Passion, Betrayal and Revolution in Colonial Saigon – Memories of Bao Luong".