Apple News In Conversation How to unlock your family’s history
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Dec 14, 2023 Elizabeth Keating, a trained anthropologist, shares tips for conducting interviews with family members to uncover personal histories. She discusses the significance of ordinary life experiences and the importance of asking the right questions. Keating emphasizes the benefits of creating a more individualized picture of family members through interviews. By reflecting on memories, older people combat loneliness and bridge generations.
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Regret Sparked The Project
- Elizabeth Keating realized after her mother died that she didn't know much about her life and wished she'd asked more questions.
- That regret motivated Keating to build a structured interview project and later write The Essential Questions.
Ordinary Details Are Rarely Passed On
- We often fail to pass down family knowledge because we rarely think to ask ordinary-life questions.
- Younger generations focus the conversation outward, leaving elders' personal experiences unexplored.
Begin With Genuine Curiosity
- Ask with genuine curiosity and reassure the person you want to understand their life to get a yes.
- Most people accept because they enjoy talking about themselves when met with an eager listener.