The Unseen Memories
Hamid Qazvini
Translated by: Zahra Hosseinian
2020-12-15
The number and variety of cultural and artistic productions are usually considered as indicators for assessing the cultural condition, which is also the basis for judging by many individuals and institutions.
Many officials has obsessed with this view and it has led them to think only about the number of works in the allocation of budget and other support, regardless of the richness of the content and the degree of influence and attraction of the audience.
In such a situation, some publishers, who also have deep cultural and value concerns, have joined the line of producing rushed large number of works, and sacrificed the quality for quantity. Such works not only do not contribute to the growth of culture and the realization of its lofty goals, but sometimes also cause harm.
The high volume of published works in the field of memoirs and oral history is an example, many of which are incapable of attracting even the smallest audience and have no added value to the knowledge of society.
It has been repeatedly stated that the purpose of writing memoirs and oral history is not merely to publish the mental resources of a narrator, rather the goal is to add a new and of course valid page to the pages of the history book to help recording or discovering the truth.
In recent years, we have witnessed institutions, publishers and media which have recorded and published the memoirs of different people in various formats every day, but they did not specify how they supposed to meet the need of audience and history. Like any other research, the effect of oral history should have specific goals so that the audience can make a clear assessment of its achievement.
In this type of historiography, if the less seen groups of the society define a new role and position for themselves by entering the compiling history, care and delicacy must be exercised in presenting this role so that their works are not considered futile and do not cause a waste of resources.
Number of Visits: 4327
The latest
- A Narrative of Pakistani Pedestrian Pilgrims of Arbaeen in Sistan and Baluchestan
- Oral History Methodology/National Archives and Library Organization of Iran, Archives Research Institute
- Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War Doctor – 10
- 100 Questions/9
- Oral History News – Aban 1404
- The Relationship between “Religious Jurisprudence” and “Oral History”
- Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War Doctor – 9
- 100 Questions/8
Most visited
The Importance of Pre-Publication Critique of Oral History Works
According to the Oral History website, a meeting for critique and review of the book “Oral History: Essence and Method” was held on Monday morning, November 10, 2025, with the attendance of the book’s author, Hamid Qazvini, and the critics Mohammad Qasemipour and Yahya Niazi, at the Ghasr-e Shirin Hall of the National Museum of the Islamic Revolution and Sacred Defense.Challenges of Interviewing in Oral History
After years of studying the theoretical foundations of oral history, conducting numerous interviews and going through their post-interview stages, as well as reading the available body of oral history literature, I was eventually given the opportunity to evaluate the edited versions of dozens of oral history projects.Comparing the Narratives of Commanders and Ordinary Combatants in the Sacred Defense
An Analysis of Functions and ConsequencesThe experience of the Sacred Defense cannot be comprehended merely through statistics or official reports; what truly endures from war are the narratives of those who stood upon its frontlines. These narratives, however, vary significantly depending on one’s position, responsibilities, and lived experience.
Unveiling of the book "Oral History: What and Why"
The First report: Alireza KamariAccording to the Oral History website, the unveiling ceremony of the book "Oral History: What and Why" by Hamid Qazvini was held on Sunday evening, November 24, 1404, in the presence of experts in the field of oral history in the Salman Farsi Hall of the Arts Center.
