Oral History Flashcards
Patty Dillon
Connects broader national trends with individual lives
Personalises historical events
Shows how citizens have changed over time
Individuals may forget/gloss over painful subjects
May miss topics that are not accepted today - segregation
some many exaggerate those topics
Shows complexity of event
Important to use alongside other sources
Joanna Bornat
Oral history shows those under classes and the unprivileged
Patrick O’Farrell
Oral History will lead us into myth not history
Paul Thompson
Before history focused on politics and not history of hidden social groups
More personalised docs were less likely to survive
Interviews can be direct in what the historian would like to know
Oral History pros
Can look at ordinary and hidden social groups
Shows people’s relationships with historical events
Can be a way to make peace with past
Can receive info on a long period of someone’s life, archives may only have snippets
Snowball effect = may lead to new contacts/potential new info
Can include sensory descriptions
Oral History cons
Memory can’t be reliable
Trauma / uncomfortable = miss out info
Interview can be influenced by today’s perspective of event
Interviewee has the power, can withdraw any time and interviewers needs their permission
(Case Study) Invisible histories
In Salford, an industrial, working class town.
Aimed to shows its industrial past. It has key representatives from key work places, mill, factories etc.
Relived past.
(Case Study) Phinda Werbner - ‘Heroic Motifs in Manchester, Pakistani Life Histories’
Captures the complexity of their migration
Promotes sense of advocacy and empowerment
shows the need for migration studies = large part of cities
And there’s currently barriers = language barriers & difficulty reaching the hard to reach communities (ones who do not trust)
Extra info on how to do oral interviews
Think of the number of participants you need - what do they represent
Type of questions - yes or no, or open end
How will you inform people of the interview
Giving power over to interviewee - reassures them
Learning to Listen
Expect the unexpected
