Contribution short abstract:

Truth and ethical dilemmas of the folklorist in reflecting the narrators' vision of the past and historical memory are under discussion. It is a kind of metatext where the backgrounds and contexts of the already completed research “The Human Sausage Factory.” (2013) are analyzed.

Contribution long abstract:

Under discussion are the folklorist's dilemmas about ethics and truth based on the practice of previously completed research (The Human Sausage Factory. A Study of Post-War Rumour in Tartu (Rodopi 2013) when reflecting the narrators' vision of the past and historical memory. The presentation is a kind of metatext where the backgrounds and contexts of the already completed research are analyzed.

Rumors of human meat sausage factories operating in ruins after the war are traditional migratory legends that emerged in many parts of Europe after the Second World War. This story has been presented as fact in biographies and oral history reports and retold in fiction. This very contrasting us/them story has been part of the historical and personal memory in the consciousness of the older generation.

My group of interviewees was united by the desire to clarify the historical truth, defend the stereotypes and vision of the past of their generation. In most cases, this interview was also used as a criticism of society, in some cases also as compensation for one's own past traumas. While writing the monograph, I faced several ethical dilemmas: to what extent can I expose the gruesome images painted through the narratives, which amplified the narrators' arguments in bringing out their truth? To what extent can I associate a particular person with violence and xenophobia, which is condemned in society, and as a source of rumors and dubious information, and make him an anti-hero? Should I reflect in my research that the narrator lied?