Oral History in a Wounded Country

Oral History in a Wounded Country
Author: Philippe Denis
Publisher: University of Kwazulu Natal Press
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2008
Genre: History
ISBN:

With the end of apartheid and the exciting, but elusive, advent of a new nation, South Africa is witness to the emergence of a new generation of oral historians whose aim is to develop a broader, more inclusive, and culturally sensitive understanding of the South African past. In a country still wounded by a legacy of racial discrimination, the retrieving of oral memories is a task more urgent than ever. Oral History in a Wounded Country shows how the cultural, political, socio-economic, and intellectual evolutions - that gave birth to South Africa as we know it today - affect the oral history process. It will help practitioners, whether they use oral history as one technique among others to gain a better knowledge of the past or envisage oral history as an academic discipline in its own right, to reflect critically on their practice and find better ways of handling the interview process. The challenge is to appreciate the complexity of South Africa's diverse histories, while being attentive to the dynamics of the interview and their effect on both interviewers' and interviewees' sense of identity.

The Oral History Reader

The Oral History Reader
Author: Robert Perks
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 743
Release: 2015-11-19
Genre: History
ISBN: 1317371321

The Oral History Reader, now in its third edition, is a comprehensive, international anthology combining major, ‘classic’ articles with cutting-edge pieces on the theory, method and use of oral history. Twenty-seven new chapters introduce the most significant developments in oral history in the last decade to bring this invaluable text up to date, with new pieces on emotions and the senses, on crisis oral history, current thinking around traumatic memory, the impact of digital mobile technologies, and how oral history is being used in public contexts, with more international examples to draw in work from North and South America, Britain and Europe, Australasia, Asia and Africa. Arranged in five thematic sections, each with an introduction by the editors to contextualise the selection and review relevant literature, articles in this collection draw upon diverse oral history experiences to examine issues including: Key debates in the development of oral history over the past seventy years First hand reflections on interview practice, and issues posed by the interview relationship The nature of memory and its significance in oral history The practical and ethical issues surrounding the interpretation, presentation and public use of oral testimonies how oral history projects contribute to the study of the past and involve the wider community. The challenges and contributions of oral history projects committed to advocacy and empowerment With a revised and updated bibliography and useful contacts list, as well as a dedicated online resources page, this third edition of The Oral History Reader is the perfect tool for those encountering oral history for the first time, as well as for seasoned practitioners.

The Oxford Handbook of Oral History

The Oxford Handbook of Oral History
Author: Donald A. Ritchie
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 560
Release: 2012-10-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0199996369

In the past sixty years, oral history has moved from the periphery to the mainstream of academic studies and is now employed as a research tool by historians, anthropologists, sociologists, medical therapists, documentary film makers, and educators at all levels. The Oxford Handbook of Oral History brings together forty authors on five continents to address the evolution of oral history, the impact of digital technology, the most recent methodological and archival issues, and the application of oral history to both scholarly research and public presentations. The volume is addressed to seasoned practitioners as well as to newcomers, offering diverse perspectives on the current state of the field and its likely future developments. Some of its chapters survey large areas of oral history research and examine how they developed; others offer case studies that deal with specific projects, issues, and applications of oral history. From the Holocaust, the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commissions, the Falklands War in Argentina, the Velvet Revolution in Eastern Europe, to memories of September 11, 2001 and of Hurricane Katrina, the creative and essential efforts of oral historians worldwide are examined and explained in this multipurpose handbook.

Oral History

Oral History
Author: Patricia Leavy
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 197
Release: 2011-02-24
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0190453222

Oral History is part of the Understanding Qualitative Research series, which is designed to provide researchers with authoritative guides to understanding, presenting, and critiquing analyses and associated inferences. There are three subareas in this series: Quantitative Research, Measurement, and Qualitative Research. This volume fits in the Qualitative Research group and addresses issues surrounding oral history - how to both fully and succinctly report and present this material, as well as the challenges of evaluating it.

Oral History, Community, and Displacement

Oral History, Community, and Displacement
Author: S. Field
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 448
Release: 2012-02-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 1137011483

This book uses oral history methodology to record stories of people who experienced the brunt of racist forced removals in the city of Cape Town, South Africa. Through life stories and community case studies, it traces the human impact of this disruptive, often violent feature of apartheid's social engineering.

Reporting Iraq

Reporting Iraq
Author: Mike Hoyt
Publisher:
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2007
Genre: History
ISBN:

50 of the world's best known reporters tell the story of what really happened in Iraq in this gripping and gritty narrative history of the war. They discuss the war, the violence they faced and how it impacted their work. But perhaps the most chilling observation is that most saw the disaster unfolding in Iraq long before they were allowed to report it. Includes contributions from New York Times correspondent Dexter Filkins, Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Shadid and Independent reporter Patrick Cockburn, as well as 21 stunning full-colour photographs.

The Voice of the Past

The Voice of the Past
Author: Paul Thompson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 505
Release: 2017-02-24
Genre: History
ISBN: 0199335478

Oral history gives history back to the people in their own words. And in giving a past, it also helps them towards a future of their own making. Oral history and life stories help to create a truer picture of the past and the changing present, documenting the lives and feelings of all kinds of people, many otherwise hidden from history. It explores personal and family relationships and uncovers the secret cultures of work. It connects public and private experience, and it highlights the experiences of migrating between cultures. At the same time it can bring courage to the old, meaning to communities, and contact between generations. Sometimes it can offer a path for healing divided communities and those with traumatic memories. Without it the history and sociology of our time would be poor and narrow. In this fourth edition of his pioneering work, fully revised with Joanna Bornat, Paul Thompson challenges the accepted myths of historical scholarship. He discusses the reliability of oral evidence in comparison with other sources and considers the social context of its development. He looks at the relationship between memory, the self and identity. He traces oral history through its own past and weighs up the recent achievements of a movement which has become international, with notably strong developments in North America, Europe, Australia, Latin America, South Africa and the Far East, despite resistance from more conservative academics. This new edition combines the classic text of The Voice of the Past with many new sections, including especially the worldwide development of different forms of oral history and the parallel memory boom, as well as discussions of theory in oral history and of memory, trauma and reconciliation. It offers a deep social and historical interpretation along with succinct practical advice on designing and carrying out a project, The Voice of the Past remains an invaluable tool for anyone setting out to use oral history and life stories to construct a more authentic and balanced record of the past and the present.

Recording Oral History

Recording Oral History
Author: Valerie Raleigh Yow
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 449
Release: 2014-12-05
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0759122687

Recording Oral History, now available in its third edition, provides a comprehensive guide to oral history for researchers and students in diverse fields including history, sociology, anthropology, education, psychology, social work, and ethnographic methods. Writing in a clear, accessible style, Valerie Yowbuilds on the foundations laid in prior editions of her widely used and highly regarded text to tackle not just the practicalities of interviewing but also the varied ethical, legal, and philosophical questions that can arise. The text—now twelve chapters—allows for dedicated discussion of both legalities and ethics. Other new material include recent research on how brain functions affect memory, more comprehensive demonstration of how to analyze an interview, and details on making the most of technology, both old and new. Each chapter concludes with updated and annotated Recommended Readings and tailored appendixes address new developments, such as institutional review boards and the Oral History Association’s new Principles and Best Practices.

Re-Viewing Resistance in Namibian History

Re-Viewing Resistance in Namibian History
Author: Jeremy Silvester
Publisher: African Books Collective
Total Pages: 330
Release: 2015-07-13
Genre: History
ISBN: 9991642285

Re-Viewing Resistance in Namibian History brings together the work of experienced academics and a new wave of young Namibian historians - architects of the past. They are working on a range of public history and heritage projects, from late nineteenth century resistance to the use of songs; from the role of gender in SWAPO’s camps to memorialisation; and from international solidarity to aspects of the history of Kavango and Caprivi. In a culturally and politically diverse democracy such as Namibia, there are bound to be different perspectives on the past, and history will be as plural as the history-tellers. The chapters in this book reflect this diversity, and combine to create a remarkable collection of divergent voices, providing alternative perspectives on the past. The book writes ‘forgotten’ people into history; provides a reading of the past that reflects the tensions and competing identities that pervaded ‘the struggle’; and deals with ‘heritage that hurts’.

Landscape of Memory

Landscape of Memory
Author: Sabine Marschall
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 424
Release: 2009-12-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 9047440919

Under the aegis of the post-apartheid government, much emphasis has been placed on the transformation and democratisation of the heritage sector in South Africa since 1994. The emergent new landscape of memory relies heavily on commemorative monuments, memorials and statues aimed at reconciliation, nation-building and the creation of a shared public history. But not everyone identifies with these new symbolic markers and their associated interpretation of the past. Drawing on a number of theoretical perspectives, this book critically investigates the flourishing monument phenomenon in South Africa, the political discourses that fuel it; its impact on identity formation, its potential benefits, and most importantly its ambivalences and contradictions.