"We Got the Best of that World": A Case for the Study of Nostalgia in the Oral History of School Segregation

O r a l H i s t o r y R e v i e w 2 8 / 2 ( S u m m e r / F a l l 2 0 0 1 ) : 5 9 – 8 4 “W e G ot the Best of tha t W orld” : A Case for the Study of Nostalgia in the Oral H istory of Sc hool Segregation by Barbara Shircliffe Nostalgia. [NL, fr. Gk nostos return home 1 algos pain, grief] 1: HOMESICKNESS 2 : wistful yearning for something past or irrecoverable . Recent histories of school segregation raise questions about oral history and the reliability of people’s recollections of the past. As historians of education have begun to examine prevail- ing views about the inferiority of segregated black schools based on oral histories with former students and teachers, it is essential to consider the function of nostalgia in oral history narratives. In studies by David Cecelski, Vane ssa Siddle Wal ker, Va n Dempsey, and George Noblit, common themes emerge about the “goo d” qu alities of segregated schools from the nar- ratives of former students, parents, and educators who affec- tionately recall the family-like atmosphere of all-black schools, dedicated and caring teachers, and a community discipline that made both schools and neighborhoods safe havens for Barbara Sh ircliffe te aches so cial fo undations o f e ducation at th e Un iversity of South Flo rida. The rese arch in th is...