Is oral history the words of people who have not been seen?
Mahya Hafezi
Translated by M. B. Khoshnevisan
2024-2-6
Some are of the view that oral history is useful because it is the words of people who have not been seen. It is meant by people who have not been seen, those who have not had any title or position. If we look at oral history from this point of view, it will be objected why the oral memories of famous people such as revolutionary leaders or war commanders are compiled.
It seems that when it is said that oral history is the history of unseen people, a special point should be noted. Of course, most of the people who have been at the head of governments have had historians and usually all the matters around them have been written. People who held management positions had podiums during their time of responsibility and have expressed their words; but in the meantime, if there are things that have not been said, it is the job of the oral historians to get them from the narrators and present in the form of an oral history work.
Oral history is the history that has not been told in written form. Here, it doesn't matter if the person being interviewed is a commander and official or an ordinary person. It has no basis to say that oral history is just the history of ordinary people or in other words, the history of the barefoot. It should be noted that the memories of an ordinary person who has already expressed his words will no longer be used in oral history, they are as important as the words of a famous person who has not yet expressed anywhere in oral history.
It is not necessary to delve into the work of oral history and say that if a person has previously held a position, for example a commander or manager, etc., then interviewing him is not useful for oral history. The necessity of interviewing this person is determined by whether he has already said what he is saying or not.
Oral history is the words of the silent stratum of society; This stratum can be both among the people who have had responsibility and the ordinary people of the society. It is important that the interviewee has already neither published in a book nor stated in an interview his or her words about the subject of the interview.
Number of Visits: 3032
The latest
- 100 Questions/28
- The 373rd Night of Memories – Part 6
- Memories of Farshid Eskandari
- Authenticating Oral History: From Possibility to Necessity
- Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War Doctor – 28
- An Interview with Members of an Iraqi Mawkib Present at the Gatherings in Tehran
- Memoirs of Manizheh Lashkari
- The 373rd Night of Memories – Part 5
Most visited
- The 373rd Night of Memories – Part 5
- An Interview with Members of an Iraqi Mawkib Present at the Gatherings in Tehran
- 100 Questions/27
- Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War Doctor – 27
- Memoirs of Manizheh Lashkari
- The 373rd Night of Memories – Part 6
- Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War Doctor – 28
- Memories of Farshid Eskandari
The Beating Pulse of a Nation at the Moment of Nowruz
Every year, in the days and nights leading up to Nowruz, Shohada Square had a special charm. A few days before the New Year, the shops would fill with customers, and street vendors would take over the sidewalks. You could find everything in their stalls (from items for the Haft Sin table, candles, goldfish, and spring flowers to clothes, bags, and shoes).The Editor's Missing Place on the “Deck”
The book From Deck to Heaven offers a relatively fresh approach to examining the role of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Navy (AJA) during the eight years of the Sacred Defense, published under the “Oral History of the Islamic Revolution” series. To compile this book, the esteemed author has utilized documentary research (referring to relevant archival centers and selecting documents) and field research ...An Exceptional Haft‑Seen Table
I wanted to celebrate the new year with my family. Together with two relief workers I boarded buses designated for transporting the wounded to Choubideh and received our mission orders. We waited for a helicopter to take us to Bandar Imam Khomeini. I was stationed near the helicopter’s touchdown zone and was slight in build. As the helicopter was about to land, I could not steady myself; the breeze generated by the rotor blades lifted me off the ground.Spring under the shadow of war
Composing the Spring special for the new year in the past years was mostly along with hope, nature’s rebirth and the promise of renewal of life. Spring has always been a reminder for returning of life and peace after the Winters’ cold. This year though, another atmosphere has settled over our land in the last days of Esfand (March).
