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Notes:
What is Oral History?
- 1972 definition: “the interviewing of eye witness participants in the events of the past for the purposes of historical reconstruction.”
- Shifts:
- from information → to narratives & construction of memory
- from data for interpretation → to access to experience, subjectivity
- Oral history: records about the ordinary person
- recovering the history of disadvantaged
- giving voice to voiceless, to those who don’t have power
- Critics:
- fallibility of memory
- unrepresentative
- “the telling of experience is the mean by which subjects constitute themselves” → performativity
- subjectivity is expressed in and constructed by the language and the interchange of oral history interview
- subjectivity
- is not a problem in front of the way of the collection of objective data
- it is opportunity to exploration of the historical subject
Comprehensive Summary of “The Peculiarities of Oral History”
Introduction: Oral History as a Distinctive Field
Oral history is more than just a tool for uncovering historical facts; it is an interactive and interpretative process that engages both the historian and the respondent. Unlike written sources, oral history is dialogic and shaped by both the interviewer and the narrator. Scholars like Alessandro Portelli argue that oral history is a unique genre where orality and writing interact to explore the past.
Key Features of Oral History
Portelli identifies several elements that make oral history distinct from other historical sources:
- Orality – Oral history relies on spoken narratives, which have rhythm, intonation, and structure that are often lost in transcription. Traditional written records, such as legal documents, often fail to capture the true voice of speakers.
- Narrative – Oral history involves storytelling, where narrators shape their accounts with personal reflections, reported speech, and cultural influences. These narratives often differ from the structured accounts found in written history.
- Performance – Oral history is performative, meaning that how something is said is just as important as what is said. Interviewees modulate their tone, use gestures, and adapt their speech based on the context.
- Subjectivity – Unlike traditional history, which often prioritizes objectivity, oral history embraces personal perspectives, emotions, and interpretations. It captures not just what happened but how people felt about it.
- Memory – Oral history is shaped by memory, which is inherently selective and influenced by cultural, social, and personal factors. Historians study how memory shapes narratives and why certain aspects are remembered or forgotten.
- Mutability – Oral history is fluid; an interview with the same person may produce different responses over time. The presence of the interviewer and external influences can shape the testimony.
- Collaboration – Oral history is co-created between the historian and the interviewee. The historian influences the narrative through questioning, selection, and interpretation, making oral history a shared process rather than a neutral account.
Oral History vs. Other Testimonies
- Oral history differs from: • Oral Tradition – Oral traditions are stories passed down through generations, whereas oral history focuses on personal experiences within a narrator’s lifetime. • Autobiography – While oral history includes personal accounts, it differs from autobiography because it is shaped by the historian’s questions and interaction. • Written Records – Written documents often reflect the voices of educated elites, whereas oral history captures diverse perspectives, particularly those of marginalized groups.
Research Practices in Oral History
Historians working with oral sources must recognize their own influence on the narratives they collect. Unlike traditional historians who analyze fixed texts, oral historians engage in open-ended research where interviews can reshape the direction of the study. They must balance their academic training with the unpredictability of personal testimonies.
Challenges and Evolving Practices
The transformation of oral testimony into written text often removes its original nuances, leading to a loss of orality. However, new approaches, such as digital recordings and interactive platforms, help preserve the authenticity of oral sources. Some historians, like Portelli, prioritize interviewees’ voices over academic interpretation, pushing the boundaries of conventional historical writing.
Conclusion
Oral history has developed into a distinct discipline with its own methodologies and theoretical approaches. It remains interdisciplinary, drawing from anthropology, sociology, and literary studies. While it has unique challenges—such as subjectivity, memory limitations, and transcription issues—it also offers a rich, dynamic way of understanding history through lived experiences.