Oral History - National Archives of South Africa

More documents

Recommendations

Info

5. Shope, “What is oral history?”, http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/oral/what.html.76. Quoted in DA Webb, “”Cultural History” museums and oral history”, in DieKultuurhistorikus, October 1987, p. 95.7. C Hamilton, “’Living by fluidity’: Oral histories, material custodies and the politics ofarchiving”, in C Hamilton et al (eds.), Refiguring the archive, (Cape Town, 2002),p. 217.8. A Skotnes, “People’s archives and oral history in South Africa: a traveller’s account”, in SAArchives Journal 37, 1995, p. 66.
8History writingOral history has been a growing part of historical methodology since the secondhalf of last century, and in the South African context it has become an importantpart of the reconstruction process. 9 Historian Andor Skotnes comments that“people’s oral history has a contribution to make to the South African transition” 10and also that “a great wealth of experience with oral history exists in South Africaand ... there are enormous resources available in the country to anyone interestedin oral history.” 11Oral history offers historians the opportunity to interact directly with their subjectmatter, establishing an active relationship between the present and the past. 12 Forarchival and museum purposes, oral history is extremely appealing as it is, as J.Tosh states, “an effective instrument for re-creating the past” by virtue of being“the authentic testimony of human life as it was actually experienced.” 13 Museumcurator D.A. Webb demonstrates that oral history is an inexpensive way to savemuseums from becoming “calcified” or “irrelevant” 14 and he has appealed to SouthAfrican museums to “move away from simply collecting the dead past, [and to]start collecting the living past.” 15Oral history is therefore seen as an effective way to explore recent social historyand the everyday life of non-élite communities. 16 It gives history a human face byhighlighting the individual experience that is ordinary and also particular. 17 One ofthe main features of oral history is thus its democratic nature. Tosh explains thatby means of oral history, “[o]rdinary people are offered not only a place in history,but a role in the production of historical knowledge.” 18 Oral history can thereforebring in the often unheard voices and address imbalances in the representation ofthe past. 19 Webb explains, “It puts the people who made the history back intohistory, and it does so by involving them.” 20________________9. Shope, “What is oral history?”, http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/oral/what.html; OralHistory Society, Essex University, http://www.oralhistory.org.uk; Skotnes, “People’sarchives and oral history in South Africa”, pp. 64-65; RC de Jong, “Use of oral sources inthe recreation of historical sites: four recent case studies”, Archives News 47(1), March2004, p. 40.10. Skotnes, “People’s archives and oral history in South Africa”, p. 65.11. Ibid.12. Tosh, The pursuit of history, pp. 211 & 215.13. Ibid., p. 211.14. Webb, “”Cultural History” museums and oral history”, pp. 95-99.15. Ibid,. p. 98.
Page 2 and 3: 3CONTENTSPageEditorial - Thabang Kh
Page 4 and 5: 5Reflections and highlights of the
Page 8 and 9: 916. Tosh, The pursuit of history,
Page 10 and 11: 11UP ArchivingThis paper considers
Page 12 and 13: 13Oral history projects at UP diffe
Page 14 and 15: 15The focus was on the Living Human
Page 16 and 17: 17THE CENTRE FOR POPULAR MEMORY: IN
Page 18 and 19: 19• 2004: Over the past 18 months
Page 20 and 21: 21THE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL FOUND
Page 22 and 23: 23Published works such as library b
Page 24 and 25: 253. Marketing and PublicityRadio:
Page 26 and 27: 27THE ROELAND STREET PRISON DURING
Page 28 and 29: 29Interview AnalysisFour different
Page 30 and 31: 31Difficulties associated with the
Page 32 and 33: 33SECTION ONEThis section intents t
Page 34 and 35: 35Allow us to share one story in ou
Page 36 and 37: 37While these are but numbers, the
Page 38 and 39: 39ORAL HISTORY: AN AFRICAN ART?By P
Page 40 and 41: 413. Oral history and culturea) The
Page 42 and 43: 43Junior people are not expected to
Page 44 and 45: 45But Ranger misses the point. Most
Page 46 and 47: 47Why coming back to apartheid? Sho
Page 48 and 49: 49d) What is an oral historian?Oral
Page 50 and 51: 51But other forms of benefit can be
Page 52 and 53: 532.2 Size of target group that nee
Page 54 and 55: 553.2 TrainingMain Strategic compon
Page 56 and 57:
573.3 First phase: 2002-2004Type of
Page 58 and 59:
593.4 Second Phase 2005Type of trai
Page 60 and 61:
614. Impact Trained core group of t
show all

Oral History - National Archives of South Africa

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?