The Three Pillars of Oral History:

Exploring The Concept of Time, Place and Narrator in the Interview Process

Written By Hossein Nasrollah Zanjani
Translated by Mandana Karimi

2025-10-16

Oral history, as a research method, is not merely about collecting data, it is a process of creating a historical document. The core of this method is the interview. The quality of the interview depends on the interviewer’s understanding of three interconnected concepts: narrator, time and place. These three elements form a triangle, each side influencing the others, and the resulting narrative emerges from the interaction among all three. To clarify the matter, it is useful to briefly examine this triad.

Time

Time is not a one-dimensional, linear category, but a multi-layered phenomenon through which the interviewer must be able to navigate. In oral history, we deal with four layers of time:

1. Time of the event

The chronological or calendar time when the event occurred forms the basis of historical authenticity. The interviewer must strive to establish and clarify its details. However, stopping at this level turns the narrative into a dry report.

2. Time of the event’s formation in the narrator’s mind

This refers to the process of gradually perceiving and understanding an event as it unfolds. The narrator encounters scattered pieces of information that gradually coalesce into a coherent narrative. This is the moment of transition toward understanding an incident.

For example, a person realizes their wallet is missing. While mentally reviewing recent events, they recall that someone bumped into them on the street. This “bump,” which seemed insignificant at first, now becomes meaningful.

3. Time of recollection

This is the time during which the narrator recalls and reconstructs the memory — the period between the event and the act of narration. During this interval, the memory is reinterpreted each time it is recalled.

4.  Time of narration

This refers to the present moment, the time in which the interview takes place. The narrator approaches the memory with their current knowledge, experiences, emotions, and motivations.

Thus, questions must be designed in a way that distinguishes between these four temporal layers.

Place

Place is not merely geography; it is an active factor that shapes memory and gives it identity. Like time, it consists of three distinct dimensions:

1. Place of the event

The physical geography of the occurrence. Describing its details and characteristics gives the narrative authenticity and credibility.

2. Place of recollection

This dimension carries the emotional and sensory weight of the place. The site of the event, in the narrator’s memory, is intertwined with smells, sounds, light, and feelings.

Furthermore, other factors — such as a martyr’s cemetery, the home of a martyr, or a location resembling the original site — can stimulate memory.

3. Place of narration

The setting in which the interview takes place. The sense of safety or lack thereof in this environment affects the depth of the narrative.

Accordingly, questions should be designed to clarify the geography of the narrative. In addition to asking about the physical details and topography of the place, the interviewer should explore the narrator’s emotional connection to it. For example: “If you were to draw a map of that place, what would you include?”

The Narrator

The narrator is the most important pillar of the interview. They are not merely a “source” of information but a partner in the creation of history. To fully understand the narrator’s position, one must first know who they are and what characteristics they possess, and then examine them in three distinct temporal contexts:

1.They may have been present in the event, either as a participant or a direct eyewitness.

2.They may not have been present, but due to their position or responsibilities, they were aware of the event through their environment.

3.They may be a transmitter of the narrative originally told by first-hand witnesses.

With this typology in mind, we can analyze the narrator’s position:

Naturally, the account of someone who was present at the event is influenced by their personal traits and limitations at the time. Such as lack of knowledge, raw and immediate emotions, fear, joy, anger, confusion, age, identity, and beliefs held in that moment.

To enhance the quality of the interview, one can ask questions about the atmosphere of that moment — what they thought or felt, and so on.

Moreover, from the time of the event to the time of narration, the narrator has repeatedly interpreted, analyzed, and reconstructed the memory. Over time, the event may have acquired new meanings for them or been influenced by other people’s narratives. To address this issue, one could ask:

“Have you thought about that incident in the years since?”

“Has your perspective changed?”

“Has any part of that memory become symbolic for you?”

“Have others’ comments about that event affected your recollection?”

Ultimately, the interviewer must recognize the narrator’s position in relation to the event and imagine themselves in each of the three roles. Questions should be designed to extract factual truths (from the narrator at the time of the event), the process of meaning-making (from the narrator over time), and the motivation for narration (from the narrator in the present).

In essence, a successful oral history interview is the art of weaving together these three interrelated concepts.