The Role of Objects in Oral Narrative
Hamid Ghazvini
Translated by Kianoush Borzouei
2025-12-10
Philosophers refer to anything that exists—or possesses the potential to exist—as an object. This concept may manifest in material forms, abstract notions, and even human emotions and lived experiences. In other words, an object encompasses a vast spectrum of beings and phenomena, each endowed with particular attributes and characteristics, and apprehensible in diverse modalities.
Human life, from its very outset, is inextricably intertwined with objects. We are encircled by them; they accompany us through joy and sorrow, becoming silent partners in the unfolding of our days. No one can participate in material life yet remain untouched by objects. Even individuals dwelling in the remotest corners of the world—far removed from conventional civilizations and familiar cultures—are inevitably bound to a minimal interaction with objects and reside within structures that themselves constitute the most consequential objects in their lives.
Countless objects, once intertwined with human life, are not mere instruments of convenience or ornaments of externality; rather, they profoundly shape one’s identity. We value their presence and strive to preserve them. When a person gazes upon a house, a book, an instrument, a handwritten note, a garment, or an old letter—or listens to a long-forgotten melody, or inhales a scent laden with memories—they are, in truth, encountering a fragment of their own past. Objects thus become agents that safeguard and reconstruct identity, sustaining memory, lineage, and personal history.
The objects that constitute our world reveal who we are, where we have been, and toward what direction we are moving. They function as metaphors through which individuals redefine themselves—clues that disclose their histories, experiences, and relationships. These mementos are tangible embodiments of past actions and recollections; in a world racing forward at relentless speed, they afford fleeting moments for pause, reflection, and a return to the self. It is perhaps for this very reason that many nations strive to preserve what they deem their civilizational and cultural heritage or rescue it from the obscurity of collective oblivion.
Accordingly, objects are not merely tools; they are vessels of our individual and collective histories. Each carries its own story and contributes to the creation of narratives about our lives, entering a semiotic system of meanings. These signs operate much like an archaeologist’s chisel, descending with precision upon an ancient wall—displacing accumulated layers of dust and soil and revealing the contours of a hidden treasure. When a person encounters an object to which they were once emotionally or experientially connected, it activates the neural pathways associated with that memory, reconstructing the experience within the mind. The more vividly a memory has been encoded, the more immediate and lucid the brain’s response. It is as though the mind reopens a portal to the past, presenting luminous, detail-laden scenes before our eyes. How this process unfolds—how the brain retrieves a bygone episode from the vast archive of stored information—is a matter belonging to neuroscience and psychology, and thus beyond the scope of this essay.
Moreover, many objects possess profound sentimental value. They not only trigger recollection but also summon the emotions bound to those memories. For example, a tool once used by a father in his place of work, after his passing, can resurrect an entire constellation of recollections and feelings. Likewise, certain objects hold enduring roles within religious rites and practices—such as the prayer cloth, prayer rug, or rosary—each maintaining an intimate bond with one’s identity and deepest personal moments.
On a societal scale, old buildings, monuments, and museums bear within them portions of a community’s cultural and social heritage. In an even broader sense, such objects form bridges between senses, time, place, and emotion—binding past and present. Thus they are not merely material entities but custodians of human memories and meanings.
In this way, objects assume a vital and multifaceted role in the reanimation of memory and the evocation of recollections. Their presence is indispensable in shaping social identity and reviving historical consciousness.
Engaging with Objects in the Construction of Narrative
The question then arises: How should the oral history researcher—whether conducting an interview or crafting a narrative—engage with objects to make the most effective use of them in shaping the story?
The answer may be articulated as follows:
- The oral historian must be competent in semiotic interpretation and the deployment of signs. By recognizing the objects that significantly influenced the narrator’s life and era, the researcher can evoke the associated conceptual markers and employ them to enrich and complete the narrative with precision.
- Objects should not become the central subject of the research. Their purpose is not to dominate the narrative but to serve as catalysts for memory and instruments for reconstructing an accurate account of events.
- Some objects may carry negative emotional weight, and lingering on them may distress the narrator or lead them toward self-censorship. The researcher must therefore remain attentive to the narrator’s emotional landscape.
- Objects that provoke intense positive sentiment or exhilaration may inadvertently encourage exaggeration.The researcher must ensure that the narrator does not become ensnared in an atmosphere of rapture or nostalgia that obscures the truth. For instance, an old firearm once belonging to a father may unconsciously prompt embellished accounts of the past.
- Each object is viewed by the narrator through a lens shaped by affection, respect, aversion, or dissatisfaction, depending on their history with it. The oral historian should be mindful of these inclinations and use them judiciously to stimulate memory and craft the narrative.
Ultimately, a portion of history becomes sedimented within objects, and with the passage of time, revisiting or observing them enables the gradual re-narration of forgotten or obscured fragments of the past.
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