Oral sources of history. Oral History 2022-10-20

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Oral sources of history refer to the transmission of historical information through spoken communication, as opposed to written records. These sources can include personal anecdotes, folklore, oral traditions, and even gossip. While oral sources are not always considered as reliable as written records, they can still provide valuable insights into the past and offer a unique perspective on historical events.

One of the main advantages of oral sources is that they often provide a more personal and intimate look at history. When people share their experiences and stories orally, they are often more candid and honest than when they are writing for a wider audience. This can give us a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of people in the past and how they saw the world.

Oral sources can also offer a glimpse into the social and cultural context of a particular time period. For example, folktales and oral traditions can give us insight into the values, beliefs, and customs of a particular community. This can be especially useful when written records are scarce or not available.

However, there are also challenges to using oral sources as historical evidence. One issue is that oral sources can be prone to distortion and embellishment over time. As stories are passed down from one person to another, they can be altered or forgotten, leading to inaccuracies in the historical record. In addition, oral sources can be influenced by the biases and perspectives of the person sharing the information, which can also lead to distortions.

Despite these challenges, oral sources can still provide valuable insights into the past and can be used in conjunction with written records to paint a more complete picture of history. It is important for historians to approach oral sources with a critical eye and to consider the context in which the information was shared. By doing so, we can better understand the past and the experiences of those who came before us.

Oral Sources of History

oral sources of history

Start with easy questions, such as their name, where and when born, names of family members. Rigoberta Menchú and the Story of All Poor Guatemalans 1999 , Stoll argues that the details in Menchú's testimonio are inconsistent with his own fieldwork and interviews he conducted with other Mayas. These interviews may be used for research or excerpted in a publication, radio or video documentary, museum exhibition, dramatization or other form of public presentation. Pity because they may be missing some important oral clues! These are also cataloged and searchable online from the USM Digital Collection page. It may also be the person that is giving the writer the information he is recording. Describe your first car.

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Oral

oral sources of history

Getting into an interview and fumbling around trying to figure out how to start, pause, stop, reverse, set recording levels, etc. In December 2004, the Chinese Association of Oral History Studies was established. What kind of public transportation was available? What did they do for a living? In other words, a collection of averagely intelligent men will most likely interpret a written text almost the same way many centuries after being written. Request at least two hours for the interview session. As stated above, pick a location for the interview that is quiet, free from distractions, and convenient. Oxford university press, 2017. Prepare a longer list of all names, terms, etc.

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Oral Sources of History Archives

oral sources of history

Once you have completed the research, then create an interview outline, placing the most important subjects that you want to ask about first and so on. It can be used to change the focus of history itself, and open up new areas of inquiry; it can break down barriers between teachers and students, between generations, between educational institutions and the world outside; and in the writing of history…it can give back to the people who made and experienced history, through their own words, a central place. Ask your interviewee to spell any names or places you did not understand. What are the uses of oral sources? Make sure all the settings match the instruction sheet. Instead, challenge deftly in a non-confrontational way.

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How to Do Oral History

oral sources of history

Oral history can reveal previously unknown to you family members. What large moments do you remember watching on TV? These can be the best part of your interview. What is the purpose of oral history research? Let the interviewee think and take time before they answer. Did you watch TV growing up? This requires you to listen closely to what is being said, and, just as importantly, to determine what is not being said. Explain how interview is likely to be used. Oral historians have often wished that interviewing techniques could be distilled down to a few basic guidelines that would guarantee usable interviews, but, alas, no such magic guidelines exist. New York: Oxford University Press.

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Oral Sources

oral sources of history

These forms could be used to give a vivid description of their exploits heroes. Read my full disclosure policy here. If you get a short answer, follow up with tell me more, who, what, when, where, how and why. Baseball cards, dolls, etc. The establishment of this institution is thought to signal that the field of oral history studies in China has finally moved into a new phase of organized development.

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Oral History

oral sources of history

By Oral sources and oral history In the 5th century BC, the Greek historian Thucydides transposed to the written word the Peloponnesian War reports. Searching for Sharing: Heritage and Multimedia in Africa Open Book Publishers, 2017. Rigoberta Menchú and the story of all poor Guatemalans Expandeded. As long as you familiarize yourself with the techniques, you have the ability to produce a useful interview What Donald Ritchie is the author of the essential work on oral history practice, Doing Oral History: A Practical Guide. While oral histories are important in understanding the role of individual historical actors, they also have the potential to shed light on larger historical processes occurring on the national and international stages.

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Oral history

oral sources of history

The practice of oral historians could be enhanced by utilizing the more sophisticated interviewing techniques employed by journalists, in particular, the use of adversarial encounters as a tactic for obtaining information from a respondent. Are any of their traditions still carried on today? Where did you play? Without these sources, the historian would not be able to get facts with which to write. There are still reel-to-reel recordings, as well as numerous cassettes and, if they exist, transcripts of these recorded interviews. Build and maintain rapport. Since those years, however, memory studies have shown that most memories are shaped just a few minutes after an action or event has taken place, which calls into questions all types of sources, not just retrospective oral sources. Don't worry about silences.

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WHAT ARE THE ORAL SOURCES OF HISTORY

oral sources of history

He also used early tape-recorders to capture their voices, had their interviews transcribed, and he placed the transcripts and later the audio recordings in an archives where they could be used by other researchers. The interview based recordings are held by the In one of the largest memory project anywhere, The BBC in 2003-6 invited its audiences to send in recollections of the homefront in the Second World War. Oral tradition or oral data comes in many forms and serve variety of functions. Often researchers do not even know where to seek out sources of oral history. That covers a wide range of relevant information from other disciplines like linguistics, Archaeology, Now let explain the examples of those sources.

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Oral History and the Historical Process

oral sources of history

Bring with you: equipment, extension cord, cell phone in case of equipment problems , question outline, chronology, terms, photos, etc. If, however, your topic is recent and there are possible interviewees available, then go to the next step. Identifying each of the individuals in the photographs has been a challenge. Set up equipment so you can monitor it constantly and discretely, without turning away from the interviewee. How long did you have that job?. Write a follow-up note to the interviewee, thanking them for their time and reminiscences.

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