Systemic Approach in Oral History
Some say that theoretic discussions on oral history suit the academic elite and consider themselves the man of action. These individuals believe that it shall suffice to operate a recorder and a camera and be good in communication to become an oral history interviewer. This group argue that theoretic content of oral history belongs to academic studies or shall be presented as a scientific article in seminars and conferences or design science magazines! However, theoretic competence and believe in them is where oral history interviewers or oral history historiographers originate from.Oral History Interview & Importance Part 6
Importance of Pre-interview Data Collection
One of the fundamental requirements of oral history interview is having sufficient information & awareness on the interview content and surrounding aspects. Unfortunately, there have been cases where the interviewer, with the least information, has started the interview and the outcome has been unsuccessful. Such circumstances expose the interview to multiple damages as follows: ...Oral History Interview & Importance Part 5
Goal Setting
Interview in oral history is a research methodology and like any other scholar method requires a specific target. Remember that recording the memories of people with no specific historiographical target is no oral history. Many institutes or the media attempts to record and publish the memoirs of political and cultural and social activists or army commanders in different formats in commemorations or to honor the name and memory of the activists in any field; however, it is not clear which need of the audience and history such attempts address.Interviewer & Interviewee in Oral History
Limited number of experienced, knowledgeable and skilled interviewers required impose challenges in conduct of historical studies in the field of oral history. Hence, a selection mechanism shall be defined to conduct interviews with witnesses, agents and stakeholders in intended historical incidents or a limited number of eligible applicants have to be trained. Lack of prioritization and interview of people whose story is no priority by skilled interviewers, results in loss of opportunity to conduct important interviews.Oral History Interview & Importance Part 4
Narrator Identification & Selection
As discussed before, oral history is a participatory process in history development so that different information concerning political, cultural and social events are recorded and published in a targeted interview. It is important since the perspectives and narrations of a number of people are gathered in recording historical events.Research & Targeted Questions in Oral History Interviews
Oral history interviews are means of collecting information. It is through interviews that historians in this type of historiography receive information from the interviewee. The interviewees are sources of various types of information; however, the interviewer is interested only in a specific type of data. Hence, the interviewer has to employ systematic strategies to manage and steer the interview.Oral History Interview & Importance Part 3
Selecting a Subject
Selecting a subject is one of the key steps in oral history interviews. Oral history interviews are either subject or individual based. Naturally, to selecting a subject requires great precision. As it was said before, oral history interviewer shall not only have the spirit of inquiry and research but also have general and technical information on the subject and avoid any bios towards the individual and social and political events in question.Oral History Interview & Importance Part 2
Characteristics of an Interviewer
Interviewers shall not perceive such activity as an occupation with mere financial objectives. Oral history has to be a cultural and social mission with deep roots in the history and heritage of a society and nation. It is essential for the oral history interviewer to have sufficient knowledge on the subject. Lack of scientific knowledge and information not only hinders his/her understanding of the memoir but also prevents the interviewer from asking the right questions and steering the interview in the right direction.Oral History Interview & Importance Part 1
Oral History, Path to Cultural Dialogue
Recording memories is a vital endeavor which is called “Oral History” in case conducted through active and targeted interviews. In this method of historiography, isolated and marginalized social groups get involved in record of history and culture and define a new role and status for themselves; hence, oral history is perceived as a demographic method of historiography. In fact, the main and key characteristic of oral history is interaction with communities, groups, ...Tips on Archiving Family History, Part 3
Readers sent dozens of questions about archiving and preserving family history and stories to Bertram Lyons, an archivist at the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress in Washington....
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Benefits of Oral History
History, as one of the fundamental disciplines within the humanities, has evolved through time to adopt various forms and methodologies. Concepts such as "written history," "comprehensive history," and "oral history" exemplify these approaches. Written history relies on documents and textual sources for the analysis and composition of historical accounts, while comprehensive history seeks to integrate various sources—both written and oral.The Hidden Camp
The Hidden Camp narrates the autobiographical memoirs of Mohammad Hassan Mirzaei, recounting his experiences from managing Iraqi POW camps to enduring captivity in Iranian POW camps. This work, rewritten and compiled by Meysam Gholampour, was published in the summer of 2024 by Mirath-e Ahl-e Qalam Publications in collaboration with the Damavand Martyrs Foundation.That Side of the Wall
Seizure of US embassy as narrated by Habibollah BitarafHabibollah Bitaraf was one of three first ideologues of the seizure of the US embay and a member of the coordination council of the den of the espionage. He who was studying Civil Engineering in Technical Faculty of Tehran University at that time has first-hand memoirs about the event.
Oral history education should not rely on individuals
Today, training is considered by the oral history experts as a key issue. According to Dr. “Ali Tattari”, oral history education needs to be processed in universities so that, by approving regulations and guidelines, the education of this science does not rely on individuals and does not suffer from a crisis with the slightest change in the country's political and economic climate.
