Structured interviews, personal recollections of a life story, and narrative biographies are very useful for oral history.
Oral history is the name given to a way of reconstructing ancient events through testimonies and data transmitted by spoken word , that is, orally .
Just as there are multiple written records that allow us to appreciate the past, oral tradition and all kinds of oral sources are of utmost importance for the field of study identified as oral history , a framework in which experiences , personal memories and collective memory are valued.
Anecdotes , legends , myths and statements from people are essential to the tasks of discovery , collection , preservation and interpretation of information linked to the history and identity of a town, city or country.
Oral History Resources
Those who dedicate themselves to oral history use different resources to obtain, preserve and reproduce content of interest that, to name a few possibilities, reflect the experiences of individuals capable of telling how they experienced a migration phenomenon, a colonization process, the independence of a country, etc.
Oral historians often resort to conducting interviews and even holding talks (formal or informal) to obtain enriching testimonies that help to understand how someone lived or perceived a certain event or historical period . This material can be recorded either in an audio or video recording and a transcription can be made from it in order to be able to analyze it and store it in text format.
It is important to bear in mind that oral history finds its main focus of interest in historically and socially relevant past issues. For this reason, the person in charge of the interview must prepare it adequately and carry it out responsibly , respecting the personal narrative of each interviewee. In no case should the result be manipulated, judged or forced: each project initiated to achieve content that invites reflection on events from other times needs testimonies offered voluntarily and a dissemination that contemplates the requests or restrictions eventually requested by the narrators . The interviewers/historians must be faithful to their research, to the subject addressed and even to the language used by the interviewees.
Oral history seeks testimonies from people who put into words memories and experiences of a significant event at a cultural, social, religious, historical, economic, etc. level.
There are two alternatives to choose from regarding the interview : formulate a thematic questionnaire that reveals sensations, aspects, phenomena or situations not captured in the documentary history or go after the life story with an interview that prioritizes a biography .
For the benefit of oral history , which can be used in educational environments to collect testimonies about the not-so-distant past (thanks to questions answered by students' relatives, for example), it is necessary to contrast sources and seek support in various specialties or branches focused on History .
Although there are always challenges and limitations to overcome in oral history , the advance of technology has favored the tasks of oral historians . In the digital age , for example, the editing stage is faster and simpler, and the preservation, access and dissemination of projects and content are facilitated thanks to digitalization and the use of the Internet .
Historical research may use oral testimonies supplemented by photographs, printed documentation, etc.
Fields of application and topics covered
Oral history is an extremely useful tool for carrying out a historical analysis that takes into account individuality, subjectivity, level of memory, possibilities of expression and memories of those who contribute their vision or interpretation of a political, economic, cultural or social event or process from other times.
Oral history , with its methodologies and resources, invites us to consider numerous themes and to be applied in many contexts or areas. As a reference, it is interesting to know that, in this field of work, a voice can be given to "forgotten" or ignored characters, minorities or members of a community who may not be reflected in an official account .
Through oral history it is possible to contribute to the preservation of the intangible heritage of a society (documenting and safeguarding the cultural heritage through oral stories, for example), it is possible to understand and study realities of political or economic history , etc.
Classrooms , on the other hand, are ideal spaces to exalt the benefits of oral history and stimulate in students the desire to learn from the greatest from their life experiences and their statements or testimonies about some event that had them as witnesses or protagonists .
The evolution of a neighborhood, the significant changes that a town has undergone, the customs of yesteryear segmented by gender or age , the experiences of civilian victims of an attack or war , the early days of a certain social movement ... There are many and varied topics or discoveries that can be explored by taking advantage of oral history , an essential field for strengthening identities, understanding cultures or historical contexts, facilitating research and transmitting knowledge.