FREE The Voice of History DOWNLOAD 1969–2019 with articles by VIRGINIA BERRIDGE / JOANNA BORNAT / ANNA BRYSON / LINDSEY DODD / GEORGE EWART EVANS / SEAN FIELD / HARRY GOULBOURNE / ANNA GREEN / CARRIE HAMILTON / JENNY HARDING / ALUN HOWKINS / ANGELA V JOHN / ANNA-KAISA KUUSISTO-ARPONEN / NICOLA NORTH / ALESSANDRO PORTELLI / WENDY RICKARD / ELIZABETH ROBERTS / MICHAEL ROPER / GABRIELE ROSENTHAL / RAPHAEL SAMUEL / ULLA SAVOLAINEN / GRAHAM SMITH / PAUL THOMPSON / PIPPA VIRDEE / BILL WILLIAMS CONTENTS The Voice of History Oral History journal: 1970s 2000s Introduction to OHJ@50 1. Raphael Samuel: ‘Perils of the 15. Michael Roper: ‘Analysing the Fiona Cosson ..............................2 transcript’ (from vol 1, no 2, 1972) analysed: transference and counter- Current British Work – 2. Paul Thompson: ‘Problems of transference in the oral history a brief reflection method in oral history’ (vol 1, no 4, encounter’ (vol 31, no 2, 2003) Cynthia Brown ............................6 1972) 16. Anna Green: ‘Individual and 3. George Ewart Evans: “collective memory”; theoretical A whole world of oral perspectives and contemporary history – an editor’s ‘Approaches to interviewing’ (vol 1, debates’ (vol 32, no 2, 2004) reflections on no 4, 1972) International Work 4. Elizabeth Roberts: ‘Working-class 17. Alessandro Portelli: ‘So much depends on a red bus, or, innocent Siobhan Warrington ................7 women in the north west’ (vol 5, no 2, 1977) victims of the liberating gun’ (vol 34, The life history of Oral no 2, 2006) History from editors’ 5. Bill Williams: ‘The Jewish 18. Anna Bryson: ‘“Whatever you memories of its origins immigrant in Manchester’ (vol 7, no 1, say, say nothing”: researching and developments 1979) memory and identity in Mid-Ulster, Paul Thompson, Joanna 6. Virginia Berridge: ‘Opium and 1945-1969’ (vol 35, no 2, 2007) Bornat, Rob Perks and oral history’ (vol 7, no 2, 1979) Sean O’Connell ..........................9 19. Carrie Hamilton: ‘On being a 1980s “good” interviewer: empathy, ethics 7. Harry Goulbourne: ‘Oral history and the politics of oral history’ and Black labour in Britain: an (vol 36, no 2, 2008) overview’ (vol 8, no 1, 1980) 2010s 8. Angela V John: ‘Scratching the 20. Jenny Harding: ‘Talking about Surface. Women, work and care: emotions, culture and oral coalmining history in England and history’ (vol 38, no 2, 2010) Wales’ (vol 10, no 2, 1982) 21. Sean Field: ‘Shooting at 9. Graham Smith: ‘From Micky to shadows, Private John Field, war Maus: recalling the genocide through stories and why he would not be cartoon’, (vol 15, no 1, 1987) interviewed’ (vol 41, no 2, 2013) 10. Joanna Bornat: ‘Oral history as a 22. Pippa Virdee: ‘Remembering social movement: reminiscence and Partition: women, oral histories and older people’ (vol 17, no 2, 1989) the Partition of 1947’ (vol 41, no 2, 1990s 2013) 11. Gabriele Rosenthal: ‘German 23. Lindsey Dodd: ‘“It did not war memories: narrability and the traumatise me at all”: childhood © Oral History Society, biographical and social functions of ‘trauma’ in French oral narratives of first edition July 2019. remembering’ (vol 19, no 2, 1991) wartime bombing’ (vol 41, no 2, While every effort has been made to 12. Alun Howkins: ‘Inventing 2013) update the articles included in this Everyman: George Ewart Evans, 24. Anna-Kaisa Kuusisto-Arponen collection to correspond with the oral history and national identity’ journal’s current house style, we and Ulla Savolainen: ‘The interplay accept that some errors may have (vol 22, no 2, 1994) of memory and matter: narratives been missed and we apologise to 13. Nicola North: ‘Narratives of of former Finnish Karelian child authors and readers. Cambodian refugees: issues in the evacuees’ (vol 44, no 2, 2016) l Design and production by collection of refugee stories’ (vol 23, Andy Smith and Denise Bell no 2, 1995) ([email protected]) 14. Wendy Rickard: ‘Oral history: l Published by the Oral History Society, c/o Department of History, more dangerous than therapy? Royal Holloway, University of London, interviewees’ reflections on Egham Hill, Egham TW20 0EX recording traumatic or taboo issues’ l www.ohs.org.uk (vol 26, no 2, 1998) ORAL HISTORY @50 Introduction 2 Oral History journal: Introduction to OHJ@50 This year, 2019, Oral History members of the journal’s current not uncritical about the testimony celebrates its 50th anniversary, editorial group. The articles in this interviewees gave, and the early making it the oldest oral history issue not only reflect some of the issues of the journal were strongly journal in the world. Established in most important work published in concerned with questions about the December 1969 at a meeting at the the journal, but collectively, they character of this newly developing British Institute of Recorded Sound reflect the various trajectories and methodology and practice. (later to become the British Library trends in oral history research, theory Raphael Samuel’s ‘Perils of the Sound Archive), the journal started and practice over the last fifty years, Transcript’ (1972) draws attention to out as a news-sheet, published by and as such, stand as testament to the the potential distortion of Paul Thompson in the Department of diverse, evolving and inspiring nature transcribing a spoken dialogue and Sociology at the University of Essex. of oral history. Each article has a implored oral historians not to Founding members included Theo foreword, from the author or impose their own order on the speech Barker (University of Kent), George someone invited to represent them, of their interviews, advocating the Ewart Evans, Stanley Ellis which comments on the article’s importance of archiving recordings (University of Leeds), Brian origins and influences, and including for future use. In ‘Problems of Harrison (Corpus Christi College, their thoughts and reflections.2 Method in Oral History’ (1972), Oxford) and Raphael Samuel The emergence of oral history in Paul Thompson addresses issues of (Ruskin College, Oxford). Its aim Britain in the 1960s and 1970s, accuracy and reliability in oral history was to ‘bring together some of those including the founding Oral History in testimony. He reminds those both scholars known to the organisers to 1969 and the establishment of the supportive and critical of oral history be using the interview method in Oral History Society in 1973, had that whilst accuracy was an issue, it social and political history, and to many varied ingredients and was not something limited to oral discover whether any further liaison influences, from local history, sources, but present in all historical would be valuable’.1 anthropology, sociology and folklore sources. Further, he noted that oral Since 1969, Oral History has studies, to the History Workshop history’s apparent biases and published articles reflecting the Movement and the Women’s unreliability could be its greatest changing topics, debates, and Liberation Movement and always strength: ‘We should never dismiss practices of oral historians in Britain coupled with an accessible interview information because we know that it and around the world. To mark its method and sense of a social and is not literally accurate. The problem 50th anniversary, Oral History is political purpose on the part of its is how to interpret it’. George Ewart republishing twenty-four articles to practitioners. Early articles in Oral Evans, in his article, ‘Approaches to celebrate and revisit some of the most History indicate concern about how Interviewing’ (1972) emphasises that memorable, influential, and ground- to collect, interpret and use oral interview should be focussed on the breaking contributions that made it history testimony as an historical interviewee, rather than the method; into its pages over the period, source, and if and how to make that is, unhurried, relaxed, and particularly those articles that aren’t comparisons and contrasts with welcoming of tangents, informed by already readily available through printed and published historical a belief that there is value in talking to other anthologies and readers. These sources, notably interview technique, older people, both in the immediate articles were nominated and selected interview questions, and social relationship and for the by readers of Oral History and transcription. Yet oral historians were purposes of the historical record. ORAL HISTORY @50 Introduction 3 There was an explicit mission history, Williams suggests, could healthcare settings, which would in amongst this first generation of oral serve as a powerful corrective to turn shape the theory and practice of historians to use oral history to fill in building a better understanding of the discipline. Developments in oral the gaps of the historical record. This Jewish life and experience. Further, history practice, community positivist approach would later oral history testimony could not only publishing and life review are receive much criticism. When Oral help explode collective and brought together in Joanna Bornat’s History published a commemorative community myths, but also work to ‘Oral History as a Social Movement’ issue to mark its 25th anniversary in help explain them, their power and (1989), where she suggests that 1994, Alun Howkins addressed some their function. Oral history is also older people’s social interactions and of this criticism in a re-examination seen by Harry Goulbourne in his memory processes have the potential of the life and work of George Ewart article ‘Oral History and Black for personal, social and historical Evans in ‘Inventing Everyman’ Labour in Britain’ (1980) as benefits, drawing on older people’s (1994), defending Evans’s literary indispensable to the writings of the awareness of care, family and and folklorist approach to ‘spoken histories of black people in Britain intergenerational communication, history’. Howkins argued that much since the late nineteenth century to and their insights into the nature of of the criticism aimed at Evans was the 1970s, acting as ‘a rich source for historical change over time. misplaced and arose from a data which will dispel some of the In the 1980s, as survivors of the misunderstanding of his project.