Labour History Holdings at the National Archives of Canada in Oral History

1988 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 229
Author(s):  
Richard Lochead ◽  
Daniel Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Oral History ◽  
National Archives ◽  
Labour History

Safeguarding National Heritage through Conservation of Oral History Collections at Bulawayo National Archives, Zimbabwe

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vimbayi Natalie Nhenga-Mugarisanwa ◽  
Peterson Dewah
Keyword(s):  
Oral History ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Storage Conditions ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Conservation Unit ◽  
National Heritage ◽  
National Archives ◽  
Digital Formats ◽  
Depth Interviews

 Oral history collections are vital assets that represent national heritage. While transcribed collections are kept in a proper archival repository at the Bulawayo National Archives, the audio-visual collections are kept unprocessed and unprotected in unsuitable housing such as cardboard boxes within the Principal Archivist’s office. Storage conditions are not conducive and therefore, unbearable. The study, therefore, explored issues relating to how national heritage contained in oral history collections can be protected through conservation at the institution. In this regard, the study opted to employ the qualitative research methodology, using the case study research design. The informants were purposively sampled, while data were collected through questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and document analysis. Questionnaires were administered to the chosen respondents through hand delivery. Researchers conducted in-depth interviews that lasted between 20–30 minutes. The Director’s Annual Reports from 1990 to 2016 were analysed for the study. The findings of the study indicated that the Bulawayo National Archives captures and stores oral history in paper, cassettes, magnetic tape, and digital formats, and according to various subject areas; which include chieftaincy, minority groups, land question, religion and liberation wars. However, the institution does not have a conservation unit nor an Oral Historian in charge of the collections. In this regard, we recommend that the institution sets up a conservation unit to protect oral history collections, and facilitate the restoration of the already damaged and deteriorated oral history collections. 

ORAL HISTORY SOURCES AS LEARNING MATERIALS: A CASE STUDY OF THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 82-93
Author(s):  
Gugulethu Shamaine Nkala ◽  
Rodreck David
Keyword(s):  
Oral History ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Learning Material ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
National Archives ◽  
National University ◽  
Set Up

Knowledge presented by Oral History (OH) is unique in that it shares the tacit perspective, thoughts, opinions and understanding of the interviewee in its primary form. While teachers, lecturers and other education specialists have at their disposal a wide range of primary, secondary and tertiary sources upon which to relate and share or impart knowledge, OH presents a rich source of information that can improve the learning and knowledge impartation experience. The uniqueness of OH is presented in the following advantages of its use: it allows one to learn about the perspectives of individuals who might not otherwise appear in the historical record; it allows one to compensate for the digital age; one can learn different kinds of information; it provides historical actors with an opportunity to tell their own stories in their own words; and it offers a rich opportunity for human interaction. This article discusses the placement of oral history in the classroom set-up by investigating its use as a source of learning material presented by the National Archives of Zimbabwe to students in the Department of Records and Archives Management at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST). Interviews and a group discussion were used to gather data from an archivist at the National Archives of Zimbabwe, lecturers and students in the Department of Records and Archives Management at NUST, respectively. These groups were approached on the usability, uniqueness and other characteristics that support this type of knowledge about OH in a tertiary learning experience. The findings indicate several qualities that reflect the richness of OH as a teaching source material in a classroom set-up. It further points to weak areas that may be addressed where the source is considered a viable strategy for knowledge sharing and learning. The researchers present a possible model that can be used to champion the use of this rich knowledge source in classroom education at this university and in similar set-ups. 

A Comparison Study of Oral History Programs at National Archives of Botswana and Zimbabwe

2019 ◽  
pp. 160-179
Author(s):  
Sindiso Bhebhe ◽  
Tshepho Mosweu
Keyword(s):  
Oral History ◽  
Narrative Discourse ◽  
Archival Science ◽  
Comparison Study ◽  
National Archives

The influence of the postmodernist school of thought has touched archival science. This chapter looks into how one of the notions of postmodernism in archival science which advocates for the challenging of the dominant narrative discourse by equally including into the archives the voices of the minority, the marginalized, the ordinary, and the underrepresented people is faring both at National Archives of Zimbabwe and Botswana National Archives and Records Service.

scholarly journals Designing a Software to manage and provide the Available Oral Historical Documents in the Documents and Archives Authority

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr. Shamsa Habib Shambeh Al Musafir ◽  
بثينة بنت خلفان بن سالم البدري
Keyword(s):  
Oral History ◽  
Remote Access ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
National Memory ◽  
National Heritage ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
National Archives ◽  
Basic Objective ◽  
Intellectual Production

The oral history is of great importance in preserving the national memory beside the written document and in the belief in its importance and role in preserving the national heritage. The researcher prepared this study with the aim of limiting intellectual production in the field of oral history, achieving effective scientific communication between different researchers, facilitating remote access to oral history, Oral History To combat any intellectual invasion of history, the idea of establishing an electronic oral history program in the National Archives and Archives was conceived The first chapter contains the general framework of the study and the second chapter discusses the theoretical framework of the study. The third chapter deals with the actual management and availability of documents and oral history documents in the National Documents and Archives. Chapter 4 includes the survey study of the subject of the study. The researcher studied the final chapter of the study to prepare a proposed model for the establishment of an electronic program for oral history in the National Documents and Archives to achieve the basic objective that the study sought to achieve In conclusion, the study concludes with a set of general findings and recommendations that can contribute to the use of modern programs and technology in the management of oral history documents.

The Swaziland Oral History Project

1987 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 383-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.A. Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Oral History ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Colonial Period ◽  
Oral Traditions ◽  
Political Position ◽  
Documentary Sources ◽  
National Archives ◽  
History Of ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Selection Of

In 1985 an oral history project was established in Swaziland, based in the National Archives at Lobamba. The Oral History Project set itself three tasks; the establishment of an oral archive on Swazi history; the publication of a selection of transcripts form the oral archive concerning the precolonial history of Swaziland; the popularization of precolonial history.The precolonial history of Swaziland is the history of a largely non–literate people. The colonial period is well–documented, but mostly from the perspective of the colonial administration. Oral traditions are thus a primary source for both the precolonial and the later history of Swaziland. The Project is concerned to preserve oral testimonies about all periods of Swazi history, including the immediate past. Special attention however, has been paid to the collection and preservation of the oral record pertaining to the precolonial history of Swaziland, a period for which documentary sources are largely absent.There are several reasons for this. Firstly, the relative stability of the Swazi kingdom and its high degree of centralization imparted to early Swazi traditions a unique chronological depth. Secondly, the varied circumstances of incorporation of its many component chiefdoms have endowed Swaziland with an exceptionally rich corpus of local and regional traditons. This diversity facilitates the development of a picture of precolonial life that moves beyond the elitist versions of history which have long dominated both Swazi history and precolonial history elsewhere in southern Africa. Not only are the surviving Swazi oral traditions about the precolonial past unusually rich, but Swaziland occupied a pivotal political position in nineteenth–century southeast Africa. Its traditions illuminate the processes and forces that shaped the history of the entire region

scholarly journals Semillas en disputa: Historias de vida y memorias del cambio tecnológico en la agricultura de la papa en Costa Rica (1943-2015).

2016 ◽  
pp. 75-100
Author(s):  
Wainer Ignacio Coto Cedeño
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Technological Change ◽  
Oral History ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
National Archives

This paper analyzes the process of technological change in agriculture potato in Costa Rica between 1943 and the present. Research shows that the adoption of technological change was an uneven process, which favored the economically better off farmers and displaced others with fewer resources to access modern inputs. This led to the emergence of frictions and conflicts between small, medium and large farmers. The study reviewed literature documentation, the National Archives, as well as annual reports of the Ministry of Agriculture, in addition to press articles. Also it uses oral history and includes interviews with producers and agronomists of the Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería (MAG) and the private sector.

scholarly journals Islam dan Kebangsaan: Pergumulan dalam BPUPKI, PPKI, dan Piagam Jakarta

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-35
Author(s):  
Ilyas Ilyas
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Oral History ◽  
The State ◽  
Historical Narratives ◽  
Joint Work ◽  
Founding Fathers ◽  
State Constitution ◽  
National Archives ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Historical Methods

The state constitution is the guideline governing the life of the nation and state. Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution as the basis of the Indonesian state are not something given. Its formulation needed long stages, tough debates, and grueling trial process. This article aims to explore the historical evidences on the Muslim-Nationalists contribution to formulation of the Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia. The research uses historical methods, through literature review and interview record of historical actors; KH Masjkur (a member of BPUPKI), taken from the National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia. The research reveals that there were two main groups that contribute to the formulation of Pancasila and Constitution: Secular-Nationalist and Muslim-Nationalist. The struggle and sacrifice of these two groups finally reached an agreement for the unity of the country in which its pioneering stage had been done after the Proclamation of Independence on August 17, 1945. The analysis of the recorded oral history produces another findings that nationalist-Islamic figures such as; KH. Masjkur, KH. Abdul Wahid Hasyim, and KH Abdul Kahar Muzakkir contributed to the signment of the Jakarta Charter Pancasila. It can be concluded Pancasila is the joint work of the founding fathers of the Indonesian nation - especially Islamic nationalist figures- who had been marginalized in Indonesian historical narratives. Dasar negara adalah pedoman yang mengatur kehidupan berbangsa dan bernegara. Pancasila dan Undang-undang Dasar 1945 sebagai dasar negara Indonesia, tidak terberi begitu saja. Perumusannya melalui tahapan panjang, perdebatan mewarnai selama proses persidangan yang melelahkan. Artikel ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan bukti sejarah tentang kontribusi Islam terhadap bangsa dan negara, terutama dalam membentuk dasar negara Republik Indonesia. Tulisan ini menggunakan metode penelitian sejarah, dengan mengunakan sumber kajian pustaka dan rekaman hasil wawancara dengan pelaku sejarah, KH Masjkur (Anggota BPUPKI), yang diambil dari Arsip Nasional Republik Indonesia. Hasil penelitan menunjukkan terdapat dua kelompok utama yang memberikan kontribusi pemikirannya dalam perumusan Pancasila dan Undang-undang Dasar 1945, yakni; kelompok Nasionalis-Sekuler dan Nasionalis-Islam. Perjuangan dan pengorbanan kedua kelompok ini akhirnya tercapai kesepakatan demi persatuan yaitu Proklamasi Kemerdekaan pada 17 Agustus 1945. Selain itu, bukti rekaman sejarah lisan tersebut memperlihatkan besarnya peran tokoh nasionalis-Islam seperti; KH. Masjkur, KH. Abdul Wahid Hasyim, dan KH Abdul Kahar Muzakkir, turut memberikan sumbangan pemikirannya mengenai dasar negara Pancasila. Dapat disimpulkan bahwa dasar negara Pancasila merupakan karya bersama para tokoh pendiri bangsa Indonesia – terutama tokoh nasionalis Islam, yang selama ini terpinggirkan dari narasi sejarah Indonesia. أساس الدأساسان للدولة الإندونيسية ليستا شيئًين مُعطىين. و احتاجت صيغته إلى مراحل طويلة و مناقشات صعبة وعملية تجريبية مرهقة. و يهدف هذا البحث إلى وصف الأدلة التاريخية حول مساهمة الإسلام في الأمة والدولة، لا سيما في تشكيل أساس جمهورية إندونيسيا. و تستخدم هذه الورقة طريقة البحث التاريخي، من خلال استخدام مراجعة الأدبيات وتسجيل نتائج المقابلات مع الفاعل التاريخي، الحج مشكور (عضو BPUPKI) مأخوذة من الأرشيف الوطني لجمهورية إندوولة هو المبدأ التوجيهي الذي يحكم حياة الأمة و الدولة. البانشاسيلا و دستور 1945 نيسيا. و استنتج الباحث أن هناك مجموعتين رئيسيتين ساهما في تأسيس بانشاسيلا و دستور 1945: الجماعة القومية العلمانية و والجماعة القومية الإسلامية. الكفاح والتضحية يحقق إلى الاتفاق على الوحدة وهو إعلان الاستقلال في 17 أغسطس 1945. بالإضافة إلى ذلك، فإن الأدلة على السجل التاريخي الشفوي توضح الدور الكبير للشخصيات القومية الإسلامية مثل الشيخ الحج مشكور و الشيخ الحج عبد الواحد هاشم، والشيخ الحج عبد القهار مذكر الذين ساهموا في تأسيس بانشاسيلا. و استنتج ي الباحث أن أساس ولاية بانشاسيلا هو العمل المشترك للشخصيات المؤسسة للأمة الإندونيسية – و خاصة الشخصية القومية الإسلامية غير المكتوبة في التاريخ الإندونيسي.

Orality versus Written Legislation: Oral History as used in Zimbabwe`s Post-2000 Land Reform Programme

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 26-36
Author(s):  
Livingstone Muchefa ◽  
Calvin Phiri
Keyword(s):  
Oral History ◽  
British Empire ◽  
Land Reform ◽  
Oral Tradition ◽  
Colonial Period ◽  
Legal Basis ◽  
Reform Programme ◽  
National Archives ◽  
Other Information ◽  
Insight Into

Zimbabwe became a colony of the British Empire on 13 September 1890, and attained independence in 1980. During the colonial period of 1890 to 1980 land was expropriated primarily from the indigenous Ndebele and the Shona tribal groups through the institutionalisation of legislation that brought about the segregation of Africans and paved the way for settlement and farming by whites. Between 1980 and 1990 there was little progress in terms of resettlement programmes because of financial constraints and the terms and conditions of the Lancaster House Agreement regarding the willing seller willing buyer principle. There were serious economic challenges in the decade 1990 to 2000, but the period post 2000 witnessed brisk land repossessions which were spearheaded by war veterans and politicians. At the heart of the “land invasions,” as they were popularly termed, lay historical injustices. This paper seeks to provide an insight into the centrality of the oral tradition or oral history as legal basis for the land repossessions that took place. Neither legal recourse nor visiting archives and other information centres for the purposes of authentication were a priority. The Lancaster Constitution was viewed as an obstacle when dealing with land. The National Archives of Zimbabwe is placed in context within the situation discussed.

Interrogating Thompson’s Community Approach to Oral History with Special Reference to Selected Oral History Programmes in Zimbabwe

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Sindiso Bhebhe
Keyword(s):  
Middle Class ◽  
Special Reference ◽  
Oral History ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Document Analysis ◽  
The Public ◽  
Community Approach ◽  
National Institutions ◽  
Archival Institution ◽  
National Archives

 Thompson (1998, 27) argued that “there have been telling criticisms of a relationship with informers in which a middle-class professional determines who is to be interviewed and what is to be discussed and then disappears with a tape of somebody’s life which they never hear about again—and if they did, might be indignant at the unintended meanings imposed on their words.” This is one of the criticisms that have been levelled at conventional oral history methodologies, especially those used by national institutions such as National Archives of Zimbabwe. It is Thompson’s argument that with the use of a “community approach” methodology, communities are empowered and then have confidence in writing their history which will be accessible to the public. This article will therefore interrogate Thompson’s concept using case studies of the Mafela Trust, the Tso-ro-tso San Development Trust and the National Archives of Zimbabwe to understand the positives and negatives of the community approach to oral history. The Mafela Trust is a private archival institution which deals with the memory of the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) whilst the Tso-ro-tso San Development Trust deals with the San Community of Zimbabwe. These institutions have used oral history as a tool to collect their oral testimonies; therefore this article will use oral history testimonies, some of which are archived, as its source of data. Document analysis will also be done 

OVERVIEW OF THE ORAL HISTORY PROGRAMME AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF ZIMBABWE: IMPLICATIONS FOR NATION BUILDING AND SOCIAL COHESION

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sindiso Bhebhe
Keyword(s):  
Oral History ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Nation Building ◽  
Document Analysis ◽  
Colonial Period ◽  
Oral Traditions ◽  
Marginalised Groups ◽  
National Archives

This article will aim to give an overview of the development of oral history programme at the National Archives of Zimbabwe since the colonial period to the present. It will look at the strengths and weaknesses of the programme, especially in issues of inclusivity and exclusivity. The article will try to answer  questions such as whether the programme is national in its outlook or elitist in its approach, serving the interests of few dominant ethnic groups. How it is faring in giving a voice to those marginalised groups of the society will be another issue the article will consider. It will also look at the approaches and methodologies used to collect oral testimonies and how these bear in the long term on preserving and archiving these recorded testimonies. The article will mainly be based on the views made by interviewee’s who, when interviewed during the oral history programme, made passing statements about the programme. The environment encountered by archivists and the welcome given to them in different communities they visited during oral history exercises will be discussed, especially its implications on the success of oral traditions programme at the National Archives of Zimbabwe. The literature on oral history relating to National Archives of Zimbabwe will be reviewed and a document analysis will be done.

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