Qulaitizing Oral History Works-2
Mahya Hafezi
Translated by Ruhollah Golmoradi
2023-9-29
The Iranian Oral History Website has conducted short conversations with some experts and practitioners on the topic of how to improve oral history books or memoirs, the results of which will be presented to the readers in the form of short notes and in several parts.
■ More interaction with the audience
Advances in technology have provided tools for oral history book producers to better engage with the audience. For example, instead of printing photos and documents at the end of the book, these images can be uploaded online; Then, using the quick response barcode, the link of the images can be provided to the audience.
Using this method, cost of publishing book and consequently price of the book will be reduced. In this new method, the images are provided to the audience in color and with high resolution. It is also possible for the reader to enlarge the images so that he/she does not lose the details of the photo and the document.
For example, the book “Bang-e Azadi (call of freedom)” has used this method, and it is possible for the reader to hear the audio pieces mentioned in the book.
■ Suitable paper for printing
Using white writing paper to print the book makes the reader's eyes tired. On the other hand, if the volume of the book is large, it would be heavy. To solve this problem, it is suggested to print the book on bulky paper. However, due to high porosity, these papers are thicker but lighter. Also, the proper printing of this type of paper does not bother the reader's eyes. Interestingly, such paper is cheaper than other types.
■ Proper arranging chapters
Arranging chapters of each book is different from another book. The text specifies the logic of arranging chapters. For better communication with the audience, correct and logical arrangement of chapters should be done. Using appropriate titles for each chapter is one of the essentials of proper arranging chapters.
To be continued…
Qualitizing Oral History Works-1
Number of Visits: 3606
The latest
- The Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War - 46
- Theory Six: The Inevitability of Perspective
- Memoirs of Behzad Rastegari
- 100 Questions/ 45
- 374th Night of Remembrance - 2
- The Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War - 45
- War Health
- Oral history News for Mordad 1405 (July 23rd to August 22nd 2026)
Most visited
Documentary Pathology of the US Embassy Documents
The Necessity of Scientific Rereading and Content Analysis of DocumentsMore than four decades have passed since the publication of the first collections of documents from the US Embassy in Tehran. However, despite the relatively easy access to this treasure trove of documents, systematic research exploitation of it has not been adequate. We still do not have a “comprehensive picture” of the content of these 11,000 documents.
100 Questions / 42
What is the importance of the narrator and interviewers shared understanding of the past in oral history?We asked several researchers and activists in the field of oral history to express their views on oral history questions. The names of each participant are listed at the beginning of their answers, and the text of all the answers will be published on this portal by the end of the week.
Validation: Challenges and Necessities
Where does truth stand in oral history? How can the correctness of a narrative be recognized? Does fact-checking matter? If there is exaggeration in the reporting of some accounts, how can it be detected? Is it possible to record an event accurately through the recording of a narrative? Readers and users of oral history works are often faced with these questions, and sometimes encounter doubts about some oral history works.From Revolutionary Circles to the Military Arm of the Islamic Government
In those days, it became clear that certain institutions had to be established very quickly—institutions suited to the temperament, expectations, and lingering aspirations of the younger generation; young people who had been politically active before the Revolution and, in some cases, had been directly entangled in arrests, imprisonment, ...