Oral Literature in the Digital Age: Archiving Orality and Connecting with Communities
By: Mark Turin, Claire Wheeler and Eleanor Wilkinson (Eds.)
Thanks to ever-greater digital connectivity, interest in oral traditions has grown beyond that of researcher and research subject to include a widening pool of global users. When new publics consume, manipulate and connect with field recordings and digital cultural archives, their involvement raises important practical and ethical questions. This volume explores the political repercussions of studying marginalised languages; the role of online tools in ensuring responsible access to sensitive cultural materials; and ways of ensuring that when digital documents are created, they are not fossilized as a consequence of being archived. Oral Literature in the Digital Age is an essential guide and handbook for ethnographers, field linguists, community activists, curators, archivists, librarians, and all who connect with indigenous communities in order to document and preserve oral traditions.
Contents
Introduction by Mark Turin, Claire Wheeler and Eleanor Wilkinson Part 1. Principles and Methods of Archiving and Conservation
1. The Archive Strikes Back: Effects of Online Digital Language Archiving on Research Relations and Property Rights by Thomas Widlok
2. Access and Accessibility at ELAR, A Social Networking Archive for Endangered Languages Documentation by David Nathan
Part 2. Engagements and Reflections from the Field
3. Researchers as Griots? Reflections on Multimedia Fieldwork in West Africa by Daniela Merolla and Felix Ameka in collaboration with Kofi Dorvlo
4. American Indian Oral Literature, Cultural Identity and Language Revitalisation: Some Considerations for Researchers by Margaret Field
5. Ecuador’s Indigenous Cultures: Astride Orality and Literacy by Jorge Gómez Rendón
6. From Shrine to Stage: A Personal Account of the Challenges of Archiving the Tejaji Ballad of Rajasthan by Madan Meena
7. Mongghul Ha Clan Oral History Documentation by Ha Mingzong, Ha Mingzhu, and C.K. Stuart
Oral Literature in the Digital Age was published on 23 May and can be read for free online here, where it is also available in inexpensive PDF, paperback and hardback editions.
Number of Visits: 4932
The latest
Memoirs of Hujjat al-Islam Reza Motalebi
Hujjat al-Islam Reza Motalebi is a cleric from Isfahan. Before the revolution, he was the imam of the Fallah Mosque – which was later renamed Abuzar Mosque. By his presence and efforts, Abuzar Mosque soon became a base for supporters of the Imam and the revolution. After the victory of the revolution, he played a role in uniting forces and maintaining political vitality in southwest Tehran.The Necessity of Receiving Feedback in Oral History
Whenever we engage in a task, we naturally seek ways to evaluate our performance — to correct shortcomings and enhance strengths. Such refinement is only possible through the feedback we receive from others. Consider, for instance, a basketball player whose shots are consistently accurate; should he begin shooting blindfolded, his success rate would rapidly decline, as he would be deprived of essential feedback from each attempt.Sir Saeed
The book “Sir Saeed” is a documentary [narrative] of the life of martyr Seyyed Mohammad Saeed Jafari, written by Mohammad Mehdi Hemmati and published by Rahiyar Publications. In March 2024, this book was recognized as one of the selected documentary biographies in the 21st edition of the Sacred Defense Book of the Year Award. The following text is a review on the mentioned book.Morteza Tavakoli Narrates Student Activities
I am from Isfahan, born in 1336 (1957). I entered Mashhad University with a bag of fiery feelings and a desire for rights and freedom. Less than three months into the academic year, I was arrested in Azar 1355 (November 1976), or perhaps in 1354 (1975). I was detained for about 35 days. The reason for my arrest was that we gathered like-minded students in the Faculty of Literature on 16th of Azar ...
