Page 89 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol IV

1390 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

The Pitfalls of Oral History

Historians using oral accounts have long recog-
nized the possible pitfalls in relying on their
sources. In the fifth century BCE,Thucydides was immediate interpretations of recent history? Other
concerned that “different eye-witnesses give dif- issues reflect social changes: Should oral history serve
ferent accounts of the same events, speaking out as a means through which the voices of disenfran-
of partiality for one side or the other or else from chised persons can be heard? Additional issues con-
imperfect memories” (1972, 48). This early his- cern methodologies: Should the original tapes or their
torian recognized two major concerns shared by transcripts be considered the primary sources? Should
modern historians: narrator bias and fallible or the people interviewed be asked or allowed to edit
idealized memories. transcripts of their interviews? Philosophical issues
mirror general trends in other social science fields, par-
Frances Berdan
ticularly a consideration of the impact of the inter-
Source: Thucydides. (1972). History of the Peloponnesian War. New York: Penguin.
viewer on the interview itself and on the quality of the
data collected.

orally and visually and to efficiently store, preserve, and The Significance
access the interviews. of Oral History
Historical enterprises benefit from reliance on as wide an
Limitations and Issues array of complementary primary sources as possible.
Like historians relying on written accounts, oral histo- Oral history adds a unique dimension to the font of pri-
rians recognize the imperfection of their data sources: mary source material. Recent research pursues a wide
Memories falter, people idealize past experiences, and range of topics and gathers oral accounts from a wide
narratives can be selective, biased, or even fabricated. spectrum of people. Oral history also has practical appli-
Every person sees an event from his or her unique per- cations in land use claims, historic preservation, govern-
spective, and this perspective involves not only per- mental and business history, and cultural impact studies.
sonality traits but also cultural background. So, for
Frances Berdan
instance, Sioux oral accounts of the Battle of the Little
Bighorn on 25 June 1876, vary wildly. This variation See also Letters and Correspondence; Social History
probably derives not from faulty or selective memories,
but rather from the style of Sioux military tactics that Further Reading
favored individual exploits over coordinated action, Allen, B., & Montell, L. (1981). From memory to history: Using oral
preventing any one warrior from gaining an overall pic- sources in local historical research. Nashville,TN: American Associa-
tion for State and Local History.
ture of the battle. Problems in oral history can also
Dibble, C. E., & Anderson,A. J. O. (Eds.). (1982). Sahagún’s historia. Flo-
arise from the interview experience itself: Interviewers’ rentine codex: General history of the things of New Spain, introductions
very questions and manner can channel narrators’ and indices (pp. 9–23). Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press.
Dunaway, D. K., & Baum, W. K. (1996). Oral history: An interdiscipli-
accounts, and, on the other hand, narrators may tailor nary anthology. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira Press.
their accounts to satisfy their perceptions of interview- Henige, D. P. (1982). Oral historiography. New York: Longman.
Monrtell, W. L. (1981). The saga of Coe Ridge: A study in oral history.
ers’ requests. Historians are well aware that the themes
Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press.
driving the historical enterprise itself reflect changing Nevins, A. (1938). The gateway to history. Boston: Appleton-Century.
political and social climates. Oral History Association. (1992). Guidelines and principles of the oral
history association. Los Angeles: Oral History Association.
Like any field, oral history is not without its issues. Perks, R., & Thomson, A. (1998). The oral history reader. London:
One such issue revolves around the fundamental mis- Routledge.
Ritchie, D. A. (1995). Doing oral history. New York: Twayne Publishers.
sion of the field: Should it provide a record for future
Thucydides. (1972). History of the Peloponnesian War. New York:
generations, or should projects be aimed at more Penguin.