You are there to record someone elses experiences, not to talk about yourself. Its primary mission is to explore the nature and significance of oral history and advance understanding of the field among scholars, educators, practitioners, and. Because of their focus on the subjective, oral histories can provide insights not normally found in more. Historical research has limitations in applying proper and creditworthy chronology to clarify the data. Most of the collections were done with tape recorders. It begins with an audio or video recording of a first person account made by an. This manual includes tips on designing an oral history project. These documents are not intended to be an inclusive primer on oral history.
A further 24 responses were obtained by questionnaire. These interviews are conducted with people who participated in or observed past events and whose memories and perceptions of these are to be preserved as an aural record for future generations. Principles and best practices oral history association. Family history questions do you remember hearing your grandparents describe their lives. History driven topics are highly congruent with oral history. North american oral history association, as quoted by thomson, 1998, p. Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. Recognizing that clear and concise guide can be useful to all practitioners of oral history, the oral history association has since 1968 published a series of statements aimed at outlining a set of principles and obligations for all those who use this methodology.
Is the achievement of oral history the supplanting of other historigraphic traditions. Historical method comprises the techniques and guidelines by which historians use primary sources and other evidence to research and then to write histories in the form of accounts of the past. Oral history refers both to a method of recording and preserving oral testimony and to the product of that process. Oral history helps the people in the streets also contribute to historiography of a country. Francisc simon rated it really liked it jan 08, oral tradition as history. Discussion groups conducted by selected student chairpersons yes, and what else. In this methodology, the application of oral history is one of the ways in which answers to. John laird, transcript of an oral history conducted 2001, in out in the redwoods. Herodotus, if you recall, set down many of his stories from accounts he heard an his travels. Vansina obtained his doctorate in history from the catholic university of leuven in belgiumborn and educated, jan vansina vnasina known internationally for his many contributions to social anthropology and to african. Botting 2000 used oral history as a way to understand the experiences. For oral historians the spoken immediacy of the interview, its social relations and its inevitably interrogative nature are its defining characteristics. Approach video oral history armed with information to help you create the best possible. Life histories are generated from qualitative research, interviewing individuals about their lives not one approach, but several biographical research life histories family histories oral testimonies structured, semistructured, unstructured.
Class discussion conducted by teacher and what else. In recent years, oral history has been celebrated by its practitioners for its humanizing potential, and. Begun in 1996, the politics in missouri oral history project is the longest continuous effort of the oral history program. Oral history as an innovative language teaching technique. The focus should be on the interviewee and they should do most of the talking, with occasional questions from you to guide them in directions you think are the most productive. Our theory is that oral history can be used to preserve communities and reconnect people with their heritage. The principles and best practices for oral history update and replace the oral history evaluation guidelines adopted in 1989, revised in 2000. In this methodology, the application of oral history is one of the ways in which answers to questions addressed by the research theme are elicited. These characteristics permeate the four forms which abrams 2010 argues oral history takes. Life histories family histories oral testimonies structured, semistructured, unstructured can have different aims and be underpinned by different epistemological approaches and theoretical. For example, if you are interested in studying a historical event or a historical time period and how a certain population experienced that event or lived in that period, oral history may be the best method. As a door into the world of oral history, these pages give basic suggestions for collecting and preserving the valuable oral treasures around you, to enrich you and future generations.
Oral historians attempt to verify their findings, analyze them, and place them in an accurate historical context. Pdf oral history and life stories as a research area in estonian. In the course of his research, he has worked in over 20 archives, including the regional oral history office roho of the bancroft library at the university of california, berkeley, where he was an academic specialist. As oral history methodology gained legitimacy and attracted converts among. Pdf a toolkit for an oral history digital archive researchgate. These interviews are conducted with people who participated in or observed past events and whose memories and perceptions of these are to be. Recitation oral questions by teacher answered orally by students then what. Oral history is so flexible that people of all ages can adapt the techniques of asking and listening to create and learn about history and historical narratives. Oral history as an innovative language teaching technique for. A grounded theory approach is an open approach to data analysis where codes are generated directly out of the data. Oral history is a field of study and a method of gathering and preserving the voices and memories of people. Limit your own remarks to some small talk to make the narrator. The whole point of the interview is to make sure the narrator tells his or her own story.
Approaches to designing an oral history project may vary, including the small case study thomson. Interviewing a group of people can create a picture of that experience, and a. An oral history of british science is a national collection of indepth, life story audio interviews with scientists and engineers accessible to everyone interested in the recent history of science and technology in britain. During the passage of time, a lack of an objective method to assist the analysis of the data obtained through oral evidence interviews limits the researchers efforts. This collection comprises all forms and methods of cooperation in. Social work practitioner ruth martin observes after using oral history in her work in the field. Oral historys distinctive features are its interdisciplinary roots in sociology and history, and its valuing of orality. An oral history interview involves complex social interactions. Rhodesian forces oral history project research data repository. Oral history is not folklore, gossip, hearsay, or rumor. I have found that using oral history methods can a restore human traits to.
Generally, oral history researchers in the social sciences and humanities apply a grounded theory approach, or some version of it, to their data analysis. Archivalresearch 001 072 professor of history at the new. Ranjan r international conference on history, literature and management ichlm2012 oct. They ask how oral history education in k12 and postsecondary classrooms, across multiple. Sample questions to conduct an oral history interview.
It can provide new information, alternative explanations and different insights which are potentially of enormous value. Methods for oral history brian calliou methodology for an oral history project by brian calliou editors note. Oral history, as a clear and transparent tool, needs to be applied with guidelines for qualitative researchers regarding data analysis limitations from oral evidence and facetoface contact. Does thompson feel that oral history has a counterhegemonic purpose. Oral history collection the state historical society of. An oral history interview is not about the interviewer. Historical method historical method comprises the techniques and guidelines by which historians use primary sources and other evidence to research and then to write histories in the form of accounts of the past. Oral historians recommend saving the files in at least four separate places. In addition to the workshops that we offer to community groups, we are happy to provide this manual as a resource and guide to oral history interviewing.
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender history at uc santa cruz, 1965 2003, regional history project, uc santa cruz library. Introduction to qualitative research softwares laszlo csirmaz week 3 25 january politics of oral history. Oral history can give a voice to individuals and groups who are sometimes marginalized in conventional histories the working classes, women and ethnic minorities, for instance. Mid to latetwentieth century missouri political history remains understudied, and we hope to address this void by making a large new resource available to. Why would anyone oppose the use of historical methodology. Like any other social or historical phenomenon, oral history is a product of shifting paradigms and unbending structures as well as individual initiative and opportunism. The eminent contributors discuss the history and methodologies of a field that once was the domain of history scholars who were responding to trends within the academy, but which has increasingly become democratized and widely used outside the realm of historical research. The question of the nature, and even the possibility, of a sound historical method is raised in the philosophy of history as a. If oral history has been growing as a research method for several decades now, it was only since the 1980s that it has gained repute and an established position in historical research. Russell, director santa barbara, california 931069010 805 8938215 oral history methodology, the art of interviewing oral history is as old as antiquity. Sample questions to conduct an oral history interview please tell me your name, your birthdate, our relationship, and where we are.
The aim is to introduce readers to the life history method, as well as similar and interrelated approaches, and to identify strategies and tools that are available to researchers that employ this unique qualitative methodology. About oral history oral history research and resources. Respect for the sanctity and complexity of human lives, intelligence, empathy, flexibility all these personal qualities influence the interview situation. By oral traditions, i mean all oral testimonies concerning the past which are transmitted from one person to another. It is of course impossible, with the limited amount of information so far at our disposal, to deal exhaustively in this one book with a subject so vast and so unexplored, and all i can attempt to do is to point out the problems. But interviewing is also a skill which can be learned. Introduction timescapes methods guides series guide no.
Thus, aboriginal communities can control and monitor. The journal seeks to create new knowledge and push the frontiers of research about the latina and latino experience in the united states. In the oral history project, the interview has become an innovative methodology since oral history became very popular across the. Oral history was established in 1948 as a modern technique for historical documentation when columbia university historian allan nevins began recording the memoirs of persons significant in american life. Oral history is the systematic collection of living peoples testimony about their own experiences. As indicated above, in general, a life history interview should proceed chronologically. The method was originally lives in historical documents. Uptodate information on the project can be found through the. The question of the nature, and even the possibility, of a sound historical method is raised in the philosophy of history as a question of epistemology. They ask how oral history education in k12 and postsecondary classrooms, across multiple disciplines, can provide for democratization and conscientiza.
Rhodesian forces oral history project research data. Introduction oral history refers both to a method of recording and. Lessons from oral histories of the klan kathleen m. Interviewing a group of people can create a picture of that experience, and a large project of this kind such as uncs southern oral. This research project ran from march 2008 to september 2010 and interviewed nearly 100 members of the rhodesian armed forces and police service who were in post in rhodesia now zimbabwe in the period 19721980. Oral history bibliography procedures and methodology basic.
Oral history, with its combination of methods drawn from history and sociology. Reflections on using life history approaches kate bird overseas development institute k. Methodology for an oral history project by brian calliou editors note. The project has created an audio collection of interviews, with transcripts and some additional documentary material, available. Footnote citation for one interview in a multivolume oral history.
Oral history involves interviewing a person or group to get an inside perspective into what it was like to live in a particular time or is like to live as the member of a particular group within a society. Apr 28, 2014 historical research, as a research methodology, is supported by oral history research method, which is a valuable tool for researchers in the nursing field. Oral history association principles and best practices. Grounded theory approaches are useful for building theory out of your data. Oral history office attachment iii oral history interview tips 1. The current methodology adopted by the cline library is that audio recordings must be done on a digital audio recorder. Blee many contemporary oral histories are rooted in principles of progressive and femi nist politics, particularly in a respect for the truth of each informants life ex periences and a quest to preserve the memory of ordinary peoples lives. An introduction for students university of north carolina press, 1979. In recent years, oral history has been celebrated by its practitioners for its humanizing potential, and its ability to democratize history by bringing. In the oral history project, the interview has become an innovative methodology since oral history became very popular across the humanities, bringing. Further information about an oral history of british science, including the case for the programme, interview methodology and outputs, is available in the oral history of british science project proposal. Pdf on apr 22, 2007, tiiu jaago and others published oral history and life stories. Mid to latetwentieth century missouri political history remains understudied, and we hope to address this void by making a large new resource available to the public and the scholarly community. Who is the oldest person you can remember in your family from when you were a child.
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