Journal article
Oral history, critical theory and politics: Rethinking first impressions
Oral History Association of Australia Journal, (12), pp.76-83
1990
Abstract
Often, oral history is viewed as simply the evocation and recording of spoken memories of the past. Viewed in this way, the critics of oral history, not least of all some historians, have contended that oral accounts of 'idle talk' cannot be regarded as a serious academic pursuit. Many oral historians have responded to such criticism by attempting to replicate the empiricist methodology of the social sciences. This means treating people and events as objects, adopting a neutral position, and refusing to acknowledge the human dimension of knowledge construction.
My point of departure is that history-writing, in its broadest sense, .is either implicitly or explicitly informed by social theory. Following McLennan's call for a more co-operative project between theoretical and empirical modes of enquiry the concern is to elaborate the inter-relationship between oral history and theory (1982, p.152). Of particular interest is the potential usefulness of what may be loosely labelled 'critical theory'
Details
- Title
- Oral history, critical theory and politics: Rethinking first impressions
- Authors/Creators
- B. Down (Author/Creator)
- Publication Details
- Oral History Association of Australia Journal, (12), pp.76-83
- Publisher
- Oral History Association of Australia
- Identifiers
- 991005542386307891
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Murdoch University
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publisher URL
- http://www.ohaa.org.au/page/publications.html
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