Oral History in the Digital Age
This resource explores the significance of oral history as a valuable primary source in today's historical research. It highlights the importance of recording interviews to document individual experiences and the impact of historical events on marginalized populations where written records may be absent. The guide covers techniques for crafting oral histories, including interview skills, ethics, equipment use, and the significance of obtaining informed consent. It also addresses the shift away from traditional documentation methods and how oral history can engage younger audiences and combat historical amnesia.
Oral History in the Digital Age
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Presentation Transcript
Oral Historyin the Digital Age Rick Shriver Ohio University 2013
What is oral history? • The recorded interview, archived as a whole • Once viewed as a supplement to the written history • Documenting how historical events affect individuals • A way to document aspects of history that are neglected • A way to document history of minority populations • Where written tradition may not exist • Now more often viewed as a “primary source” for historical research (like photos, letters, etc.)
Why oral history? • The erosion of the written tradition • Less diary keeping, journalizing, letter-writing, preservation • Written form may not capture the nuance and the emotion • Helps young people overcome “historical amnesia” by stimulating interest in historical events • Younger audiences prefer to consume media content is “small doses,” for which oral history is well-suited • Can show the significance of an event on subcultures
Crafted oral history • The crafted oral history focuses the content on specific events or specific topics • The interview is directed rather than free from • Combined interviews can be edited “documentary style” • Can show the accumulated significance of events on given populations or individuals
Preparation • Understanding oral history • Learning interview skills • Learning the equipment • Researching the local history • Research ethics and obtaining informed consent
Informed consent • American Psychological Association, 2010 • the purpose of the research, expected duration, and procedures; • their right to decline to participate and to withdraw from the research once participation has begun; • the foreseeable consequences of declining or withdrawing; • reasonably foreseeable factors that may be expected to influence their willingness to participate such as potential risks, discomfort, or adverse effects; • any prospective research benefits; • limits of confidentiality; • incentives for participation; and • whom to contact for questions about the research and research participants' rights.”
Interviewing • Developing the “central research question” • Seeking to bring a variety of perspectives to a common occurrence • Asking open-ended questions, allowing the subjects to talk freely, but bringing back to topic if needed • Monitoring interview fatigue, signs of stress • Photographing the interviewee and relevant materials
The technology • The digital recorder • .WAV files • 44,100 Hz • 16-bit
The outcome • Full un-edited interviews for archive • Edited crafted oral history focusing on the subject • Photographs • A “video” documentary • Attitudinal change in students
