| By examining two often divergent narratives of the German occupation, one based on written sources and the other on oral history, as well as developments since the departure of the Germans during the First World War, this dissertation argues that the oral history of the German occupation of the central Volta Region of Ghana illustrates not only how this historical episode is collectively remembered, but also how Ewe ethnic identity has been constructed during the course of the twentieth century.;Collective memories are shaped by the intellectual resources communities share. Most African societies continue to privilege oral means of remembering the past. By gathering and analyzing oral history, therefore, historians can examine how African societies collectively remember the past. This dissertation lays out the methodological strategies, primarily the use of open-ended interviewing techniques, by which this source material can be most effectively solicited.;It is an equally important matter, often insufficiently considered by those who study collective memory, to investigate who formulates and controls the intellectual resources in a community. In the case of the oral history of the German occupation of the central Volta Region, a local elite, comprised of chiefs, elders, and "German scholars," is responsible for the articulation and sustenance of this collective memory. These individuals formulate the oral history within larger historical and contemporary contexts and their own backgrounds, biases, and agendas also drive the oral history.;The oral history of the German occupation of the central Volta Region of Ghana highlights what oral historians consider to be the positive aspects of that historical episode. While oral historians describe the violence, burdens, and inconveniences they associate with German rule, they place greater emphasis on the introductions by German missionaries of Christianity and western education and the prevalence of "honesty," "order," and "discipline" during the German period. This dissertation examines how this oral history has evolved into its present form. |
