Is Autobiographical Writing a Historical Document?: The Impact of Self-Censorship on Life Narratives

Self-censorship is the act of censoring one's own written or spoken words, usually out of fear of punishment or loss of face but sometimes also out of respect for the feelings of others. Self-censorship is usually related to public discourse—whether in literature, the visual arts or in the media—but it may infiltrate private discourse if the speaker has internalised the rules of what can be said and what should remain unsaid. In this chapter, …