Over the past few decades, social history has variously and successfully
explored the lives of neglected groups in society. Nevertheless, the question
of capturing these “silent voices” in history, including those of
women, remains at the heart of social history. Although few sources are
available that allow historians to hear these voices, new methodological
insights offer opportunities. A multidisciplinary framework and a broad
range of methodologies can shed new light on the lives of peasants, who
have been often neglected in history and provide opportunities to “hear”
their voices and concerns as historical subjects. The object of this paper is
to present some critical perspective on the use of oral and archival sources
for the study of the agricultural history of rural Africa. What I present
here is my approach to the collection and use of various sources for the
study of Igbo agricultural history in the twentieth century. It suggests that
oral sources, in particular, offer an important opportunity in the writing
of an inclusive history of agricultural change—a history that for the most
part has been created by rural peasants. Another objective is to outline
my personal experiences in the field and to suggest important ways of situating
the researcher not only in the analysis of the evidence, but most
importantly, in the context or the fieldwork environment. Both, as has
been clearly shown, can affect the historian’s analysis and perspective and
the resulting history.