Clio's Talkative Daughter Goes Digital
Year: 2025
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: __Abstract__ \n \nThe introduction of the recording device at the beginning of the twentieth century \nnot only marked a major transition in communication technology, but also \npaved the way for a revaluation of the oral account in Western historiography. \nWith the rise of early civilizations and the introduction of writing tools it had \nlost its central role in the transfer of meaning and identity. Centuries later, the \nspread of literacy and the invention of the printing press stimulated the consolidation \nand appreciation of historical sources in textual form. Given the weight of \nthis strong focus on text, the invention of a device that could capture and reproduce \nthe human voice directly can be truly regarded as revolutionary. Most important, \nin the context of historical sources, is that accounts could now be stored \nand preserved in their original form: as sound. This development laid the ground \nfor the practice that is referred to as ‘oral history’. Another series of transitions, \ndecisive for the accessibility and contextualization of oral narratives, set in with \nthe ‘digital turn’ at the end of the twentieth century. The purpose of this paper is \nto offer an overview of these transitions by showing how the interplay between \ntechnology and social-cultural change influenced the creation and appreciation of \noral history interviews as sources of knowledge. What can be observed is a shift \nin appreciation of what is regarded as the most truthful and characteristic representation \nof the oral account: the original sound recording or the transcribed \ninterview. \nAlthough the term ‘oral history’ has various meanings, most scholars agree that \nits purpose is to create spoken accounts on personal history in an interview setting. \nA distinction can be made between collecting interviews to answer a specific \nresearch question, and documenting the experiences of a person as an archival \neffort with future listeners in mind.1 The first approach, with strong roots in \nEurope, bears a strong resemblance to academic practices in the social sciences, and draws on a long tradition of investigative journalism. The second places oral \nhistory in the archival realm, and is strongly rooted in a tradition of nation-building, \nin which the state initiates projects that stimulate public involvement in the \ncreation of shared cultural heritage. Researchers in the United States were the \npioneers in using the method of oral history for this purpose.2 \nThe paper starts off with a description of the change in status of oral sources \nin the late nineteenth century and the parallel technological innovation. The next \nstage presented is the early evolution of the practice of interviewing in relation \nto bearing witness to crises and conflict in the first half of the twentieth century. \nThen the emergence of the postwar social movement is described and its central \nrole in developing a pluralist perspective on history by giving voice to minority \ngroups through collecting life stories and making them public. The following section \ndiscusses the impact of the digital turn and the introduction of the Internet \non historical culture in general and on oral history in particular. The final section \ndeals with the potential of information and communications technology (ICT) \nfor the accessibility and analysis of digital oral history.
Source: Routledge eBooks
Authors: Stef Scagliola, Franciska de Jong
Language: English
Subfield: History
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W2275488924