An Examination of Oral History

Paper Summary:

This paper explains what oral history is and describes the elements that help define oral history. The paper examines the origins of oral histories, cites examples of oral histories, and looks at their value as a means of relating the past to the present and preserving and recognizing historical events and persons.

From the Paper:

"According to Roger Arditti, the definition of oral history contains several important elements, one being that the individual and his social experience makes up a good portion of the content derived from "dictating" the past. Arditti also adds that oral history is "primarily concerned with gathering information about historical and social structures" while taking into consideration the subjectivity of the historian/researcher ("Skills Project"). Another definition for oral history, suggested by one of Arditti's contemporaries, concerns "an account of first-hand experience recalled retrospectively, communicated to an interviewer for historical purposes and preserved on a system of reproducible sound" ("Skills Project")."

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