Traditionally, oral history has been described as the art and craft of collecting one’s stories and memories. From the data collected, we learn about events, activities of the past based upon the person telling the stories, and the collection of the memories. The collection of oral history is part of the tools historians have to collect and evidences for analysis of past history. It gives us new material to draw conclusions based on a variety of angles. According to Nigel A. Raab, author of Who is
In chapter nine, both Troup and Green discuss the importance and significance of oral history. Oral history is used in many ways by historians and by everyday common people. We all have stories to tell, stories we have lived from the inside out. We give our experiences an order. We organize the memories of our lives into narratives (stories). Oral history listens to these stories. Oral history is the systematic collection of living people’s testimony about their own experiences. Historians have finally
Oral history is the methodical compilation of contemporary depositions of peoples their and their personal experiences. Simply put by Gerry Albarelli in “The art of oral history”, “ Oral history is the firsthand testimony of people experiences of history (p.14).” Secondary sources are not considered oral history. Oral historians try to confirm their data, analyze them, and place them in an authentic historical text. The process of oral history is putting together and being able to interpret the memories
The Meaning and Implication of Oral History In the United States the institutional beginnings of oral history can be traced back to Allan Nevins’s Oral History Project at Columbia University in 1948. As a field it developed in the early 1980s and at this time advocates started to seriously reflect on its methods and implications. Today oral history and public history are considered the growth engine of the historical discipline, absorbing many historians who are competing in a tight job market
is an apocalyptic novel that follows an interviewer on a quest to piece together the global history twelve years after the zombie apocalypse that came to be know as “The Dark Years”. This novel is said to be an “oral history” because the plot is structured around the personal experiences around the world that is documented by an agent of the United Nations Postwar Commission. For the majority, oral histories are seen as beneficial because they allow for a unique perspective in historical records that
Oral history is based on the process of interviewing those who participated or simply observed historic events in an attempt to reconstruct the past. It is a phenomenon which came about in the latter half of the twentieth century and has challenged existing historical studies by essentially giving a voice to the ‘people without history’ who have previously been overlooked in written works or interpreted differently due to a lack of evidence. Their memories are used as an aural record for the use
stated, “Oral tradition is often in reality an explanation, in quasi-historical terms, of existing or of currently relevant past social or socio-political relationships” (as cited in Showren, 2014). Thus, as reflections of the socio-political relationships of an era or a community, the oral traditions play a very important role in the study and documentation of history of cultures which otherwise relied on word of mouth transmission. But for a long time, and perhaps even now, researchers of history and
For the Oral History project, I decided to gain a perception of American society from an individual that has experienced discrimination and persecution in the United States because of their race and sexual orientation. “Mr. Wilson” identifies himself as biracial male that has considered himself to be LGBTQIA+ for the past twenty years and over the course of his life, he has been victimized for his identification in both groups. Within our interview sessions, we have explored the topics of how individuals
Part A: ) Historical Perspective 1) How do you see the study of Canadian history being of benefit to your life and to your career goals? Answer: If we study anything with interest then it has several advantages to us. Studying about Canadian history has various benefits to me personally . Although I can enhance my knowledge and can learn many valuable things. As I am fascinated by history consequently, it will clear my points and will be useful for me in my vocation objectives. Also, I can get chance
Feminist oral history is the type of term that, when Googled, will most likely leave you with more questions than answers. Forming the perfect culmination of feminist standpoints and ethics and the practice of creating dialog to conduct genuine personal accounts of history, feminist oral history uniquely bridges a gap and allows value to be placed on women’s voices. This focus directs our attention to issues and views that otherwise go unnoticed throughout history. It’s important to understand
In Doing Oral History, Donald Ritchie, historian of the United States Senate, explains that “Oral History collects memories and personal commentaries of historical significance through recorded interviews.” He says that memory is the core of oral history, and that this is where meaning can be extracted and preserved (Ritchie, 2003). When we collect and oral history from a subject, we are collecting their memories which Ritchie argues are of historical significance, especially when coming from under-represented
Reflection on Oral History Interview Conducted as Part of Black History at SMU Project. The Black History Project at SMU is a pilot project that explores the history of black students at SMU. The project was designed to preserve the stories of black students at SMU for the younger generation and research purposes. The interviews range from the first black students to integrate the university in the 1960s until the 2000s. Ms. Pleasant, who graduated from SMU in 2008 from the Meadows school of Art
Introduction The Australian Aborigines tell the story of their nation in many varied forms, in the form of songs and chants, ritual dramatizations, paintings, dances and oral narratives. For over 60,000 years the Indigenous people of Australia have used oral narratives and songs that are passed down from generation to generation as a way of telling the story of their people in the past whilst embracing the present. There are two kinds of ways that these narratives may be told, openly for all to hear
a different view of the Korean War; one that is up close and personal. The oral histories told through edited transcripts in No Bugles No Drums: An Oral History of the Korean War, show the reader the Korean War through the eyes of the men who were active in combat. However, as Tomedi puts it, “firsthand accounts have their limitations, but they also catch things that often fall through the cracks of a conventional history” (Tomedi, vi). Tomedi provides his reader with a short background of the situation
The German’s late nineteenth century excavations of Truva are often considered to have shed new light on ancient history or ‘undoubtedly destroyed a great deal of archaeological data that will forever be lost[1]. Despite the praise and glorification that surrounds the romantic stems of Schliemann’s work; his excavations have proved limited to the evolution of archaeology and ancient history. However some of Schliemann’s methodologies have often been considered significant in context to the evolution
Gulf War, and most recently, the war in Iraq. However, one war absent from this list proved to be one of the most casualty-laden but least recognized by the American public as a significant war: the Korean War. In his book No Bugles, No Drums: An Oral History of the Korean War, Vietnam veteran Rudy Tomedi offers the personal memories of dozens of soldiers who participated in “the forgotten war.” It must be understood that if one is looking for a book that is extremely accurate about historical details
different accounts of the festival that reactions varied depending on the fundamental values and personal circumstances specific to each observer and to the underlying motives of the historian describing the event. Joel Makower's Woodstock: The Oral History was particularly effective in examining Woodstock as it was experienced by the producers of the festival. The book's approach is atypical in the sense that it spends considerable time addressing exactly why and how the festival came into existence
racial tension in South Africa was Oral History. The entire short story is laced with images of the oppression that her country is faced with on a daily basis. Although the story focuses on one village, one chief, and one moral, it is evident that she is portraying the entire country of South Africa. Her focus, while telling this story, is to provide horrific images of how racial segregation has divided her country into two parts, white and black. Oral History is a microscopic depiction of what
Throughout history, there have always been stories. From the myths of ancient civilizations long since past to today’s epic blockbuster movies, civilizations have used stories not only as entertainment, but as a way to convey ideas, or to pass down oral history through the generations. However, over time, as we look through these myths, books, movies, and other mediums, we find a common similarity in many of them. We find repeated patterns of situations, characters, and other parts. The patterns
strong feeling in the reader, and make the plot more meaningful. By showing how strongly values affect the character, it causes one to question how strong and meaningful their own values are. A poem that does this is “1910”, by Pat Mora, and a oral history that is an example is “Tsali of the Cherokees”, by Alice Marriot. In “1910”, symbolism is used to represent the character’s values. This character has a lot of pride, and looks highly upon herself. She values her high standing in society, self-esteem