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This article discusses the use of oral history in educating students about the history of Chatham County, North Carolina. Topics include increased awareness of local history and social injustice and increased respect for the people who lived through it.

This article discusses the use of oral history in educating students about the history of North Dakota. Topics include increased awareness of local history, increased respect for history and the manner it is constructed.

Analysis of historical narratives produced in a German community shows them to be metaphors for a range of issues touching on the general theme of local autonomy. The tendency of home town historians to invoke a medieval golden age is reminiscent of nationalist historiographic conventions, but variations in social context raise questions about the precise nature of the relationship between these two traditions. When viewed from different perspectives, home town history may appear to represent either accommodation or resistance to dominant ideologies; but it is best viewed as a variety of essentialist rhetoric, which serves to establish distinct yet communicable identities for various local groups.

The author draws attention to the important historical, political, and social perspectives represented by regional portraits, and cautions against their loss through the demolition of country homes and the breakup of local collections.