Oral history
Oral history refers to the practice of collecting and preserving historical information through spoken narratives, often captured in interview format. This methodology serves as a vital complement to traditional written historical accounts, which can overlook the experiences and perspectives of marginalized groups and individuals. Since the 1940s, scholars have refined techniques for documenting oral histories, utilizing modern audiovisual technology to enhance accuracy and authenticity. Initially, the field focused on prominent societal figures; however, it has evolved to prioritize the stories of those often left out of mainstream narratives, including members of marginalized communities and participants in social movements. The Federal Writers Project in the 1930s marked a significant early effort in the United States to gather personal histories, and Allan Nevins played a pivotal role in establishing contemporary practices in oral history. Today, oral histories are recognized as essential resources for understanding diverse human experiences and are frequently featured in scholarly works. The preservation of these firsthand accounts not only enriches historical scholarship but also ensures that a broader range of voices contributes to our understanding of the past.
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Oral history
Oral history is history that is passed down through the spoken word, often in the form of interviews. The field was initially somewhat imprecise, as those collecting oral history had to write down what their subjects said, thus introducing the possibility of errors and omissions. Since the 1940s, however, historians have worked to develop methodologies for collecting and recording oral histories while maintaining the authenticity of the stories told, often relying on modern audiovisual recording technology. While the field of oral history initially focused on prominent members of society, the field has since become known for collecting the histories of marginalized people or groups.
Overview
Much of history is passed down to later generations through written accounts, which can range from primary sources such as letters and diaries to heavily researched scholarly works. While such sources are valuable and reveal a great deal about the past, they often leave out numerous areas and perspectives that would be of interest to later researchers and the public. Written primary sources, for instance, exist only when people had the opportunity to write them and when these writings were preserved; people who did not have the ability or opportunity to write, or whose writings were not deemed important, are thus absent from many historical narratives and, in turn, from many scholarly studies. The collection and preservation of oral history, however, enables scholars and the public to learn from the firsthand accounts of individuals who are often overlooked in traditional histories, including those who were present at particular events, affiliated with certain social groups or movements, or belonged to marginalized populations.
Oral history has long been recorded and took on new importance in the United States during the 1930s, when members of the Federal Writers Project collected personal histories from thousands of Americans. Scholars generally credit Allan Nevins, a professor at Columbia University, with developing the modern incarnation of the field during the 1940s. Nevins worked to create methodologies for recording, preserving, and publishing interviews and founded the Columbia Oral History Research Office, now known as the Columbia Center for Oral History. The center safeguards one of the world’s largest collections of interviews and is widely considered a crucial resource for historians and other researchers. Nevins’s work became increasingly important as the writing of letters and diaries became less common; recorded interviews provided researchers with firsthand accounts of notable events and people as well as a window into the everyday American experience.
Oral history is now a crucial part of the overall field of history. Interviews are carried out by numerous organizations and individual researchers, and many scholarly books are based on oral accounts. Works derived from oral histories now illuminate the experiences of members of numerous oft-overlooked groups, from grunge musicians to activists of the civil rights movement. The recording, preservation, and publication of oral histories allow these voices, and countless others, to be heard.
Bibliography
Abrams, Lynn. Oral History Theory. New York: Routledge, 2010. Print.
Adair, Bill, Benjamin Filene, and Laura Kolaski, eds. Letting Go? Sharing Historical Authenticity in a User-Generated World. Philadelphia: Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, 2011. Print.
Janesick, Valerie J. Oral History for the Qualitative Researcher: Choreographing the Story. New York: Guilford, 2010. Print.
Maines, Mary Jo, Jennifer L. Pierce, and Barbara Laslett. Telling Stories: The Use of Personal Narratives in the Social Sciences and History. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 2008. Print.
Quinlan, Mary Kay, Nancy MacKay, and Barbara W. Sommer. Introduction to Community Oral History. Walnut Creek: Left Coast, 2013. Print.
Ritchie, Donald A. The Oxford Handbook of Oral History. New York: Oxford UP, 2012. Print.
Sitton, Thad, George L. Mehaffy, and O. L. Davis Jr. Oral History: A Guide for Teachers (and Others). Austin: U of Texas P, 2011. Digital file.
Tosh, John. The Pursuit of History. 5th ed. New York: Routledge, 2013. Print.