Experts Answer to Oral History Questions

100 Questions/22

How much does the story of the deprived and forgotten stories have the value of historiography?

Translated by Mandana Karimi

2026-3-27

We asked several researchers and activists in the field of oral history to express their views on oral history questions. The names of each participant are listed at the beginning of their answers, and the text of all answers will be published on this portal by the end of the week. The goal of this project is to open new doors to an issue and promote scientific discussions in the field of oral history.

In this project, a question is asked every Saturday, and we ask experts to present their views in the form of a short text (about 100 words) by the end of the week. All answers will be published together so that the audience can compare and analyze the views.

The content is the opinions of the senders and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Oral History website. Although the answers are supposed to be based on about 100 words, in order to be polite and not to leave the discussion incomplete, in some cases, answers longer than that are also accepted.

The experts are asked to submit their answers by Sunday night so that all answers can be published on Tuesday.

Question 22

How much does the story of the deprived and forgotten stories have the value of historiography?

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Answers to question 22:

Gholamreza Azari Khakestar

The story of the deprived and forgotten stories is a part of social history, but there are a few basic points. First, in what subjects the stories of these stories are recorded. Presence in battlefields, work in factories, migration, labor, and laboring … each contains narratives and stories in oral history projects. Certainly, certain issues such as political discussions of these stories are not valuable; but sometimes they are important in social issues and folklore. It seems that the deprived classes in social events are more important and have the basic role in reference groups, so relying on the forgotten narratives can only provide superficial narratives. What is worth of historiography is obtained from the accounts of the first hand. In other words, the narrative of the deprived and forgotten in history can be recorded as permanent voices in oral history and the function of these narratives in the important and serious issues of historiography requires attention of the historians.

Hassan Beheshtipour

The criterion of valuation about historical events and narrative events has no relation with the type of the narrator to the deprived classes or ruling classes. The first criterion of valuation in oral history is the direct and direct presence of the narrator in the narrative text. The second is the extent to which the narrative is influenced. The more the extent of its impact on the post-revolution developments, the more the significance of that narrative will be. Third, as far as possible, the narrative is based on supporting documents. The narrative which is documentary and reliable is worth more. The fourth is being precise, accurate, and without doubt. A correct and precise account is worth more than a thousand unreliable or unclear half-made one. Fifth, if possible, there are others who confirm or add the narrative, then the value of the narrative becomes more.

Abdullah Abdullahzadeh

When a person’s memories are clearly and vividly documented in his mind, a kind of visual clarity dominates them, and when it comes to retell, it raises his emotions. remembering this type of memories depends on the knowledge, passion, and mental and mental emotions of the person. These people organize and express their memories in a particular order.

Each individual’s roles also influence his personality; therefore, the character of the disadvantaged people and the classes that are forgotten is different from those of the other. In oral history the ones who are interviewees in the role of “documentary resource” and the historian whose goal is to achieve a purposeful and depth interpretation of the interview, the type of memories and character of the interview is important to him.

Gholamreza Azizi

Assuming that the narrator is satisfied as the interviewee, the value of narrative historiography is related to the value of the event and the news rather than the social position of the narrator. The narrative is important and who the narrator is, is in the next degree. In this regard, the commands of Imam Ali (PBUH) are “Look at the word and not one who speaks.”

In the next step, the position of the news announcer will be noted, while not from the point of social class but from the point of view. Could the voice be seen as a witness? What is the position of the narrator and is it correspondent to his/her narrative?

Abolfat’h Mo’men

Modern historiography bears all aspects of the evolution of society. Additionally, all methods of historical data collection; therefore, for the compilation of social, cultural, urban and rural changes and subcultures, oral history is one of the tools; particularly, the narratives of the deprived and forgotten classes in the neighborhoods and villages that were ignored in the previous historiography. It is true that the narrative of this group does not have the administrative, political, economic informative richness of managers of public departments but about events and details from office clients to events in neighborhoods and small environments and their own problems, they are original sources and unique for oral history which is very important in both microscopic and objective historiography. Since, there are cases which are usually less frequently cited in written documents and sayings of people of political, social and cultural narratives. Because they don’t care, while their information about events is unique in details. Today, the attention to this type of historiography is more than before and the western ones are the pioneers in this regard. Thus, as other narratives in oral history are of the importance, the narrative of the deprived and forgotten is important due to the subject of the study, which is not recorded in writings and if they exist, they are summarized in reports, perhaps in judicial documents, inheritance and legal affairs. And they are usually in family heritages. Thus, the narrative of this group is of special importance and credibility that can compensate the historical data vacuum in some cases.

Seyyeh Mohammad Sadeq Feyz

Each story, documentary, related to a subject which contains some noteworthy points, has the highest degree of historiography. Do not forget that much of the people of power, one day were among those deprived and neglected classes, and by chance and special events, were up and reached a place that historians are to assemble history for them!

When we speak of the oral history, we should consider all the means and aspects of it, and one of the most important tools is to document the data. Therefore, getting a narrative from someone who is related to the subject along with truth checking and documenting will certainly add to the richness of the subject.

Shafigheh Niknafs

Stories of deprived classes from the aspect of studying social history and anthropology and examining the relations of people with the governing institutions, and also how the events of national and global events on their lives are very valuable. Some sciences attempt to know the society and its nature and the processes within it and the gents that maintain or change social order and how society can pass through social, political and economic constraints and how to resist or adapt people to the difficult conditions of life. These studies require evidence of empirical evidence collected systematically and the oral history of the lower classes of the hand of the community is an example of such evidence. These narratives provide a broad range of live and dynamic information that are generally not available in the documents.

Hamid Qazvini

The narrative of actions and events related to the deprived and forgotten classes, since they have insufficient capacity to emerge and social appearance, is said or published in their own language and hence their history is usually narrated by the language of the outside witnesses and even those who are mainly responsible for their deprivation and forgetfulness, and is always incomplete and lacking in accuracy. Therefore, by using the capacity of oral history, they should be heard directly and recorded. This helps to provide a narrative with the narrative of the stories in the research resources and from a peer perspective.

Abolfazl Hassanabadi

In history, it is believed that it is written by the conquerors, not the ordinary people, and the narration of the lives of the deprived classes is always the absent and historical books. Oral history interviews, in many cases, are the only remaining traditions of the lives of ordinary people in a historical period that enjoy information value. Especially when the researcher is trying to transfer the life of society in a historical period from different aspects to another. Undoubtedly, the study of all aspects of the behaviors of the society under consideration in certain times like the 12-day war against Iran for recording the future requires the traditions of different groups and classes of social.