A Critique on the Oral History of War; Reviewing an Interview

Following the decision of the Sacred Defense Documentation and Research Center to interview with war commanders under the title "Oral History of Commanders", designed and implemented by the late Dr. Ardestani, I have steadily studied and written various notes about the oral history, with respect to the importance of methodology. In Persian references, the oral history has been perceived and emphasized more by the validity of the oral methodology and its distinction ...

Oral History Potentials

Borrowing the words of Alessandro Portelli, the eminent oral historian, it can be said that the ghost of oral history has pervaded Iran. This raises the question of how this field of research has been able to penetrate all over our country so quickly. The spread of oral history may be seen in relation to the oral tradition rooted in the culture of our nation, but at this point, I do not want to talk about why the spread of oral history.

The Unseen Memories

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.

Marketing of Oral History Works; Opportunity or Threat

Considering the needs of the audience and the need to sell more cultural works and deliver goods to the consumer, marketing of all goods, including cultural goods, is one of the components of cultural economy which affect many cultural areas and add fuel to competition in this field. "The introduction of concepts such as cultural industries, cultural goods, and the cultural market into the social science literature indicates a phenomenon which ...

Islamic Unity Week in Pakistan

By the end of the Safar, a blessed lunar month arrives during which important events of history were taken place; the most important of them is the marriage and the first revelation of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and also the beginning of Imam Mahdi’s Imamate. The important and historical event of Laylat al-Mabīt, the emigration of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) from Mecca to Medina, the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and ...

The Mourning of the People of Karachi, Pakistan

Eighth of Rabī al-Awwal is the day of Imam Hassan al-Askari martyrdom. Mourning and Rawda khwani ceremonies, and marching of mourning processions were held in various parts of Karachi, Pakistan today. The whole city is mourning on this day, because Imam Mahdi (AS) is mourning. On this day, people hold Rawda khwani ceremony in their houses and make the symbolic coffin of Imam Hassan Askari (AS) and carry it on their shoulder ...

Arbaeen in Pakistan, 2020

Arbaeen had a different spirit in our country this year, because it coincided with a sharp difference between Shiites and some Salafis. Pakistani clerics insisted that all Shiites attend the gathering, because a few weeks ago, a number of Wahhabis and Salafis marched for three days to honor some of the Companions of the Prophet, as well as Yazid, and insulted the infallible and pure Ahl al-Bayt. They also threw stones ...

The Role and Importance of Place in Retrieving Memories

One of the important topics in the study of oral history is its role and importance in retrieving and recalling past events. In other words, the place is reminiscent of memories and part of the personality and identity of people through which they know themselves and introduce themselves to others. So knowing the place includes the memories, feelings, views, values, preferences, concepts and ideals of men about the places which orientate their ...

Significance of interaction between local history and oral history in compiling local writing

Compilation as a final product of many interviews has been noticed by the individual or collective projects of oral history. Compilation in oral history depends on a variety of factors, such as the policy making of the centers, the compiler, and the type of interview. This article deals with the relationship between local history and oral history and its impact on compilation in order to address issues such as the nature of ...

Truth and Falsehood in Oral History

The production of different narrations in our country has been expanding in recent years due to various reasons, including revolution and war, and they cause the position of oral history to be more and more important in our society. Although many efforts have been made to collect oral history, one of the most important debates in oral history is the validity of the narration that oral history produces. The issue that basic propositions,
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How Imam Khomeini Was Under Siege in Baghdad

Ahmad asked me [Dr. Fatemeh Tabatabai] not to talk to anyone about the upcoming plans and the decisions sometimes made. We traveled from Najaf to Karbala by bus in one hour. All the way, I was worried and anxious. When we returned, Ahmed said: ‘We will leave Iraq in two days.’ I was shocked. I asked bewilderedly: ‘What happened? He replied: ‘The situation worsened in these two days, the siege has become more intense, ...
A memory from Mohammad Reza Yousefi

Stealing medicines from the city pharmacy

In the days after the Islamic Revolution, many people remember that young people gathered in different parts of the cities, and each one represented a group: groups such as the Tudeh party, Monafeghin or the hypocrites, the Fedai Guerrillas, the Democrats, Hezbollah, etc. each of which debated with each other with different political opinions and worldviews, and sometimes physical conflicts occurred between them during the debate. I was also interested in such street debates.

An Intelligent Demonstration

The people of Kurdistan did not have the courage to attend the demonstration due to pressures the regime had put on them. Whenever there was a demonstration across the country, there was no news in Saqqez until we, as the exile who were 10 to 11 people, decided to hold a demonstration there. When we started to demonstrate, two-three police cars had turned on their lights and followed us along with ...

Feeling of suffocation in runnel

Translated by M. B. Khoshnevisan
Saturday and Sunday, 9th and 10th of Dey 1357 (December 30 and 31, 1978) had coincided with the first days of the lunar month of Safar 1399. It had been four or five days since we left the sit-in. The regime showed terrible and intimidating behaviors and confrontations. On the other hand, we also prepared a big rally, which ended at Khorasan Governorate. From the first days of the Dey, the Pahlavi ...