Strengths and weaknesses of oral history
Oral history is one of the earliest methods of recording chronological events. Oral historical data is obtained through conducting interviews, video and audio recordings whereby the interviewees recount past events and experiences. Without doubt, we are able to learn about past events via oral means. It is one of the favored methods of recording historical events as historical accounts are made from the interviewee’s perspective. Cultural aspects about a particular community are obtained clearly and precisely as firsthand information is being received. Compared to other methods of recording historical data, oral history is the only method that paints a clear picture about the cultural aspects and behavior associated with a particular community. Through speech, emotions are easily relayed as well as accents and dialects of the communities concerned. Like any other method of recording historical events and data, oral history is prone to bias. This is because majority of the interviewees are the elderly and memory loss is a common trait associated with the elderly. Hence, some of the data recorded may sometimes be inaccurate.
Oral history has its strengths, one of which includes giving the perspective of the interviewees. In cases whereby historians use written records to account for past events, written records may at times lack critical information necessary to bring out unbiased information about past events. Through the conduction interviews and other methods of oral collection of data, cases of misinterpretations and lack of clarity associated with written records are rare. This is because the interviewer is in a position to ask questions whereby the interviewee is able to expound on unclear points. Hence, reconstruction of the past is easier and chances of falling into cracks are rare and unlikely.
Oral history allows for compensation of the digital age. In the world we live in today, the digital era has taken over in all characteristics of our lives. This is evident by the constant use of the internet as a source and medium of communication as well as information. The internet has replaced written records that were extensively used in the eighteenth century and nineteenth centuries as a way of recording historical data and events. Hence, historical data recorded in these early times and its sentiments will be lost to the future generations of historians. Thus, the only way to preserve the personal history and sentiments is by the use of oral history, which is able to capture the finer aspects of historical events. This is possible through video and audio recordings, which are compatible with the technological age we are living in[1].
Oral history as a source of historical data and events is unrivalled in its unlimited nature of collection of historical data. Written articles are good sources of historical information and provide significant data relevant to the study. Written records fall short in provision of historical data as the exclude personal experiences that are vital in recreating past events. With oral history, personal attributes, aspirations, hopes and feelings are clearly relayed. Oral history is also seen to preserve and keep record of local dialects of individuals being interviewed. Oral history’s greatest attribute is its provision for a forum of asking questions through interviews and questionnaires. Unclear past events are explained and expounded thoroughly hence a clear picture is depicted and ambiguity is suppressed significantly.
In the past, marginalization of communities was highly prevalent. The history of these marginalized communities lacked in written records resulting in a biased recollection of past events. Through oral history, a historical study of these marginalized communities is made possible. The causes of marginalization and its impact on the community will also become known. Women were also victims of marginalization within communities in the past. They did not have a voice when it came to matters of leadership, as they were the ethnic minorities. Hence, written historical records were mostly based on insights from men and leaders in the communities. Therefore, interviews conducted on women based on oral history gave insights which were very useful in depicting the past events and cultural practices[2].
Oral history is the only source of historical data that allows for asking of questions. Compared to other sources of historical data such as written records and archaeology, specific questions about past events can only be answered in oral history. Feedback is timely in oral history as the questions asked are answered immediately as opposed to written records whereby a lot of research has to be conducted to get closure on a particular matter. Oral history hence saves time, resources, and hence preferred in cases whereby interviewees are available.
Oral history gives the interviewees a chance to participate in the recreation of their past. This hinders the misrepresentation of past occurrences by the historians. In so doing, the culture and traditional practices are clearly stipulated as the values of their communities are held with high regard. Misinterpretation and misrepresentation of a community’s cultural practices and behavior may sometimes occur when using written records as a source of historical information. This happens because the historians do not have a proper insight of a particular community’s culture. Oral history provides a forum for the explanation of a community’s cultural practices and reasons for leading such a way of life.
Oral history promotes human interaction. History’s goal is to understand human experiences in the past. Oral history provides a means of revisiting past human experiences through the interaction of the researcher and the interviewee. Through this interaction, past experiences are narrated to the interviewer and records made through video and audio recordings. This gives the interviewee a chance to relive the past by narrating his way of life. Because of this interaction, the researcher and the interviewee are seen to benefit whereby the researcher gains the historical information he required while the interviewee gets to narrate his or her life experiences.
Oral history does not require writing skills. The minimal requirement is establishing a preferred language of communication. This comes as a great advantage because majority of the communities in the past were illiterate. Reading and writing was a major challenge and the only way around this was obtaining the information orally. Hence, oral history has provided major breakthroughs in compilation of historical evidence[3].
Another advantage of oral history is that it is spontaneous. It can be conducted anywhere at any given time provided that the researcher and the interviewee are present. Taking the case of written records, a qualified writer must be present to accurately depict events in writing clearly and concisely. Thus, as a result, it is preferred to use oral history as a means of collecting historical data.
Oral history is recordable. Due to the technological advances in our society today, it is now possible to record interviews in both video and audio. This is made possible with the use of electronic and communicating devices. These records are kept with ease as digital media and easily shared through the internet and other mediums of communication. Hence, oral history blends well with modern technological advances in the society resulting in its vast prominence as a means of acquiring historical records and data.
Oral history is subjective and acts as a personal form of presenting evidence. Oral sources of information bring out the unfolding of events clearly and concisely such that the occurrence of events is properly understood by the researcher. Subjectivity is a common attribute of oral history as deviating from the subject of discussion will be immediately controlled by the researcher. As a result, subjectivity ensures that the data collected in oral history is accurate and relevant to the study being conducted.
Oral history like any other source of historical data has its setbacks. One is the fact that there is no evidence of transactions having taken place. Oral history involves acquisition of historical data orally. Hence, there lacks evidence of the interaction between the researcher and the interviewee in form of writing. Keeping in mind that most of the subjects being interviewed are elderly, illiterate and lack cognitive skills, writing poses as a challenging task. Thus, as a result, keep track of historical data and events poses a major hurdle[4].
Communication between the researcher and the interviewee is essential in the acquisition of historical data in oral history. Language barrier is another challenge that researchers face in acquiring data in oral history. Majority of the communities under research are mostly segregated and have little or no formal education. Efforts to establish a language in which the parties involved can communicate are futile resulting to researchers using sign language. Sign language is impractical to the untrained individual and thus results to little data and in most cases none being collected. Locals who act as interpreters for the researchers have limited education, hence the information received is prone to distortion, and as a result, the data collected is biased. Majority of these segregated communities had distinct dialects and accents hence securing an interpreter proved and even harder task. Interacting communities shared common or related dialects and in such cases, getting an interpreter was not a difficult task. Therefore, it is evident that oral history relies heavily on effective oral communication to facilitate the correct recording of findings[5].
Oral history depends deeply on the elderly to deliver information required by the researchers. It is from these elderly members of communities under research that findings from researchers form historical data, which constitutes oral history. The elderly members of the society suffer various ailments and defects associated with aging. One of the most prevalent defects associated with aging is memory loss. Oral history relies on the recollection of past events by these elderly members hence the information collected is sometimes prone to bias. The researcher has no way of determining whether statements given by interviewee are correct or not. Consequently, this can lead to the biased historical records and misinterpretation of the past.
In oral history, information is conveyed orally. Information distributed in a verbal manner between individuals has a way of getting distorted. This results in the historical data being conveyed being inaccurate. As the number of individuals involved in the data distribution increases, the chances of distortion increase in the same proportion. Hence, in oral history, the number of individuals involved in relaying data should minimized considerably and if possible one individual[6].
For most individuals, finding and organizing words in such a way that information is relayed in a clear and concise manner is challenging. Effective communication skills require proper training and mastery of the language used to communicate the message. Individuals in these ethnic communities lack effective communication skills and hence the data collected may be distorted or the wrong information relayed. It is worth noticing that words pronounced in different tones have different meanings. This leads to misconception of ideas causing misrepresentation of historical data and events.
In oral history, cases arise when the receiver’s perception of the message is with fault. This can be caused by external factors on the part of the researcher such as lack of concentration. This leads to erroneous results being compiled hence a biased recollection of the past event. The researchers should be keen and attentive to fine details such as emotions during the conduction of these interviews. This helps bring out an exclusive picture of past events[7].
Oral history has facilitated the understanding of women’s past experiences and encounters. Through oral history, it is evident that women have had to overcome daunting odds in bid to liberate themselves. Nowadays, women have been seen to rise in the modern society to the levels of becoming heads of states. In the African setting, women have faced major challenges and liberating themselves has proved a difficult task. Through oral history, women have gained closure as they have a better understanding as to why women have lesser influence in the society. It is through oral history that women are able to see how far they have come. They are able to view their accomplishments in the society and push for more rights that bring about gender equity. This means that both men and women should have the rights and opportunities in the society. Oral history depicts that areas subjected to adverse cases of gender inequity is in the African culture. Oral history provides oppressed women in the society with ways and means of self-liberation by learning from other cultures that have succeeded in making gender equity a reality.
There has been a long connection existing between oral history and women’s history. For example, by the year 2002, four issues of oral history had been created that centered explicitly on the lives of women. despite the fact that not all forms of women’s oral history has been conducted by feminists, feminist theory has been of greater help in ways that oral historians design their studies especially on women. For example, Susan Armitage’s women’s oral history and Shena Berger Gluck’s reflections on women’s history ask how do they understand and document the subordination and resistance of women simultaneously. This question is applicable to oral history as a source.
Oral history and feminist theory have proven to be supportive of each other especially in the importance of the biographies of women that entail gendering of memory and present-past dialogic. Oral historians who concentrate on women’s history find a relationship between people as actors and subjects of the history that they create. Thus, historical consciousness proves to be essential in oral history of women such as Penny Summerfield.
In conclusion, oral history is the only source of historical data whereby cultural sentiments can be captured as opposed to other forms of historical data collection. Oral history remains unchanged with changing technological advances and hence it is a suitable source of historical data. Oral history is important because it enables the collection of evidence through first person accounts. This is vital in the notion that there is much possibility that the evidence provided can be authenticated. Oral history also has some weaknesses because the sources can decide to lie when giving important information. This means that the information collected cannot be validated especially if there are no other sources. Another weakness is that the sources of oral history could be few or unavailable.
Works Cited
Charlto, Thomas Lee, Lois E. Myers and Rebecca Sharpless. Handbook of Oral History. New
York: Rowman Altamira, 2006. Print.
Frisch, Michael. A Shared Authority: Essays on the Craft and Meaning of Oral and Public
History. New York: SUNY Press, 1990. Print.
Klandermans, Bert. Methods Of Social Movement. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press,
- Print.
Lummis, Trevor. Listening to History: The Authenticity of Oral Evidence. New York: Rowman
& Littlefield, 1988. Print.
Perks, Robert. The Oral History Reader. New York: Routledge, 1998. Print.
[1] Bert Klandermans. Methods Of Social Movement. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 2002. Print. 87
[2] Frisch, Michael. A Shared Authority: Essays on the Craft and Meaning of Oral and Public History. New York: SUNY Press, 1990. Print. 93.
[3] Thomas Lee Charlto, Lois E. Myers and Rebecca Sharpless. Handbook of Oral History. New York: Rowman Altamira, 2006. Print.76.
[4] Trevor Lummis. Listening to History: The Authenticity of Oral Evidence. New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 1988. Print. 76.
[5] Bert Klandermans. Methods Of Social Movement. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 2002. Print. 102.
[6] Michael Frisch. A Shared Authority: Essays on the Craft and Meaning of Oral and Public History. New York: SUNY Press, 1990. Print., 188.
[7] Robert Perks. The Oral History Reader. New York: Routledge, 1998. Print. 57.
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