Istorini

Istorini is a term used in historiography to denote a methodological approach that seeks to reconstruct past events by weaving documentary records, oral testimonies, and material culture into coherent narratives. The concept emphasizes memory, everyday experience, and perspective alongside traditional archives, aiming to produce histories that are more inclusive of voices outside official chronicles. The term is encountered mainly in discussions of memory studies and regional history, and it is described as a family of practices rather than a single technique.

Istorini is associated with projects that triangulate sources to reveal how different communities remember the same events, and with teaching methods that illustrate how history is constructed from partial or contested evidence. The methodology favors transparent provenance, critical evaluation of biases, and explicit treatment of competing accounts, even when sources conflict.

In practice, istorini has been applied to urban, rural, and diaspora histories, and is often used to highlight ordinary people rather than elites. Critics warn that the approach risks conflating memory with evidence if not carefully bounded, while supporters argue that it broadens access to marginalized voices and helps readers understand the contingent nature of historical knowledge.

Related fields include oral history, memory studies, and critical historiography.