Trouillot's Choice Words: The Sounds of Silence

Trouillot’s arguments in Silencing the Past are wonderfully constructed and well thought out. Taking a reverse look at positivism, Trouillot analyzes what themes in ‘understood’ history are silenced. In this analysis, Trouillot looks to explore what many diverse factors are behind the construction of historical narratives and if any factor holds a more pronounced impact upon the narrative than another. Simply, Trouillot warns the reader of Silencing the Past that historical ‘facts’ should not be assumed or trusted in any approach of popular history.

Trouillot does indeed seem concerned with history’s silences. His entire argument revolves around the notion of getting a full picture when looking at any historical instance, person, or period. Townsend, in his book, History’s Babel, acknowledges the existence of history’s silences but does not get into the great detail that Trouillot offers. Where history’s silence is a mere pothole for Townsend in his road to an argument, it is a crater for Trouillot. Townsend offers his understanding that there are indeed silences, but his concern does not match Trouillot’s. Townsend is much more occupied delivering a small history of the AHA and the professionalization of the humanities from the 19th into the 20th century.

That being stated, Trouillot seems very picky when he highlights untold history. His personal bias towards his heritage inflate his argument when talking about the Haitian slave revolution (mainly; pages 31-107). What made me weary of bias was the prologue’s purely personal essence and the starting chapter’s personal journal styled writings. While the rhetoric was compelling and interesting, it was perhaps interruptive for academic history.

In the end, it seems as if selective silencing is an unavoidable part of historical narratives. Can any writer of history or any subject matter, avoid bias in their writing? Even if it is completely unintentional, there will be a viewpoint silenced upon an issue of the humanities. Trouillot’s arguments in Silencing the Past are eye-opening and serve to make the historian aware of the “silencing of the past.” This book provides excellent insight on the understanding of history from a student’s perspective and can serve to remedy history’s many silent voices.