Studying the History of Those Who Would Rather Forget: Oral History and the Experience of Slavery

1989 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 209-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin A. Klein
Keyword(s):  
Collective Memory ◽  
Oral History ◽  
Social Order ◽  
Spanish Civil War ◽  
Oral Tradition ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Oral Traditions ◽  
Individual Experience ◽  
Different Types ◽  
History Of

Research on oral history tends to be concerned with two very different types of sources. I would refer to them as oral traditions and oral data. Oral traditions are formally preserved, not always as narratives, but in some fixed form. They can, for example, be passed on as songs, as drum names, or as proverbs. They are part of the collective memory of the group and get passed on from generation to generation. They serve a legitimating function and must of necessity be analyzed in terms of who and what they legitimate. There is also a large body of data at any time which individuals hold in memory, data about individual experience, data that consist essentially of things that people have seen and experienced. It is not preserved in any formal way because it is not deliberately structured for legitimation or communication. Popular writers in western countries have tapped this rather rich treasure trove in recent years to write about the Depression, two World Wars, and the Spanish Civil War among other things. Oral tradition is limited in what it passes on, and once the transition from generation to generation is made, the amount of data is forever circumscribed.Oral data are largely concerned with people describing things they experienced. They are valid primarily during the lifetime of those being interrogated. They are absolutely essential for the reconstruction of the history of peoples without history, those low down in any social order who have little to legitimate.

scholarly journals Introducción al género lírico coreano "sicho (시조)"

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (18) ◽  
pp. 268
Author(s):  
Hye-jeoung Kim
Keyword(s):  
Simple Form ◽  
Oral Tradition ◽  
Contemporary Literature ◽  
Western Tradition ◽  
Korean Literature ◽  
Korean People ◽  
Broad Base ◽  
Different Types ◽  
History Of

El género lírico sicho, desarrollado principalmente a finales del reino Koryo (918-1392) y a lo largo de 500 años del reino Choson (1392-1910), destaca por la amplia base de escritores y lectores que disfrutan de él y, a la vez, por su presencia activa en el panorama de la literatura contemporánea. Su larga tradición y su vigente actualidad testimonian más que suficientemente su valor como uno de los géneros más importantes de la literatura coreana. A nuestro juicio, la razón por la que el sicho sobrevive hasta hoy radica en su forma sencilla de tres versos breves, siendo un medio adecuado y eficaz para transmitir la sensibilidad lírica del pueblo coreano. Se tiende a pensar que, a lo largo de la historia de la literatura coreana, cada época concibe su propio género lírico, ya incorporado y archivado en la tradición oral, como el hyangga (향가), propio del reino Silla o el sokyo (속요) característico de Koryo. En cambio, la forma lírica del sicho persiste entre los diferentes tipos de poemas contemporáneos, tal como sucedió con el soneto en Occidente, cuya composición es aún muy valorada.The lyric genre shijo, developed primarily in the late Koryo period (918-1392) and over 500 years of the Choson Kingdom (1392-1910), stands out by the broad base of writers and readers who enjoy it, and, at the same time, by its active presence in the landscape of contemporary literature. Its long history and active present testify more than sufficiently its value as one of the most important genres of Korean literature. In our view, the reason why shijo survives today lies in its simple form of three short verses, being an appropriate and effective way to transmit the lyrical sensibility of the Korean people. We usually think that, over the history of Korean literature, every time conceive its own lyric, incorporated and filed in the oral tradition, as hyangga (향가) proper of Silla kingdom, or sokyo (속요), characteristic of Koryo. Instead, the lyrical form of shijo persists among different types of contemporary poems, like the sonnet in the Western tradition, whose composition is still highly valued.

Монгол домог дахь Мин улсын хаадын өгүүлэмж (= Устные предания монголов о правителях династии Мин)

2020 ◽  
pp. 139-152
Author(s):  
Bata Darzhagiin ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Oral History ◽  
Ming Dynasty ◽  
Tibetan Buddhism ◽  
Yuan Dynasty ◽  
Oral Traditions ◽  
Good Fortune ◽  
History Of ◽  
Common Man ◽  
The Ming Dynasty

In the oral traditions of Mongols there are a lot of legends and stories not only about Genghis Khan and the period of Mongolian Yuan dynasty, but also about the first emperor of the succeeding Ming dynasty Zhu Yuanzhang (1368–1398). These stories, first of all, tell that Zhu Yuanzhang was not of the noble origin, he was the son of a common man and became the king by good fortune. Secondly, they state that the Ming dynasty emperors were Mongols by their origin. Thirdly, all these stories and legends in their form and content are typical for Mongolian folklore. The goal of this article is to introduce the plot and themes of the Mongolian historic legends and stories about the Ming dynasty emperors. Most of the texts of legends and stories were recorded by the author from Agvanchoidor (they were included into the book “The Oral History of Mongolian-Tibetan Buddhism”) and also from other informants during expeditions.

Songs with Consequences?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Marie Stirr
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Social Order ◽  
Labor Exchange ◽  
The Social ◽  
Different Types ◽  
History Of ◽  
Musical Exchange

This chapter focuses on the pragmatics of dohori singing in rural songfests. With a comparative focus on different types of songfest across Nepal’s rural hill areas, it addresses how songfests frame performances in ways that allow for particular pragmatic effects. These are based on forms of ritualized material and musical exchange that idealize the production of equality, yet often still reproduce inequality. It tells the history of dohori as a means of communication across social divides, often with significant material stakes in binding contests that could end in marriage. It discusses dohori’s historical connections with labor exchange and marriage exchange to show how this practice of singing is grounded in ways of producing equality and hierarchy. It gives examples of how binding dohori contests or song duels have been considered threats to the social order and how their outcomes have been reintegrated, changing aspects of individuals’ lives and social relations.

The Amazons of Dahomey

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agbenyega Adedze
Keyword(s):  
Oral Tradition ◽  
West African ◽  
Oral Traditions ◽  
Historical Evidence ◽  
The West ◽  
West African Coast ◽  
African Coast ◽  
History Of ◽  
French Colonial ◽  
Female Fighters

The Amazons in general come from Greek legend and myth without any palpable historical evidence. However, there is no doubt about the historical female fighters of the erstwhile Kingdom of Dahomey (Danhome or Danxome) in West Africa, which survived until their defeat by the French colonial forces in 1893. The history of the historical Amazons of the Kingdom of Dahomey stems from vast amounts of oral tradition collected and analyzed over the years, as well as written accounts by Europeans who happened to have visited the kingdom or lived on the West African coast since Dahomey’s foundation in the 17th century to its demise in the late 19th century. These sources have been reviewed and debated by several scholars (including Amélie Degbelo, Stanley B. Alpern, Melville J. Herskovits, Hélène d’Almeida-Topor, Boniface Obichere, Edna G. Bay, Robin Law, Susan Preston Blier, Auguste Le Herisse, etc.), who may or may not agree on the narrative of the founding of the kingdom or the genesis of female fighters in the Dahomean army. Nonetheless, all scholars agree that the female forces traditionally called Ahosi/Mino did exist and fought valiantly in many of Dahomey’s battles against their neighbors (Oyo, Ouemenou, Ouidah, etc.) and France. The history of the Ahosi/Mino is intricately linked to the origins and political and social development of the Kingdom of Dahomey. Ahosi/Mino are still celebrated in the oral traditions of the Fon.

scholarly journals The Representation of Status in Mande: Did the Mali Empire Still Exist in the Nineteenth Century?

1996 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 87-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Jansen
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Organizational Structure ◽  
Oral Tradition ◽  
Conventional Wisdom ◽  
Oral Traditions ◽  
Methodological Errors ◽  
Widespread Acceptance ◽  
History Of ◽  
Source Of Information

For the reconstruction of the history of the aftermath of the Mali empire, that is, the period 1500-1800, oral traditions are the only source of information. The history of this period has been reconstructed by Person and Niane. Their work has gained widespread acceptance. In this paper I will argue that these scholars made significant methodological errors—in particular, in interpreting chronology in genealogies, and their reading of stories about invasions and the seizure of power by younger brothers.My reading of the oral tradition raises questions about the nature of both sixteenth- and nineteenth-century Mande (that is the triangle Bamako-Kita-Kankan (see map), the region where the ‘Malinke’ live), and the medieval Mali empire, because I think that Mande royal genealogies have wrongly been considered to represent claims to the imperial throne of the Mali empire. In contrast, my reading of oral tradition suggests in retrospect that the organizational structure of the Mali empire may have been segmentary, and not centralized, ranking between segments under discussion, each group thereby creating a hierarchical image.The conventional wisdom seems to be that the Mali empire collapsed/disintegrated in the period from 1500 and 1800. As Person put it:Dans le triangle malinké, on ne trouvera plus au XIX siècle que des kafu, ces petites unités étatiques qui forment les cellules politiques fondamentales du monde mandingue. Certains d'entre eux savaient faire reconnaître leur hégémonie à leurs voisins, mais aucune structure politique permante n'existait à un niveau supérieur. Beaucoup d'entre eux, dont les plus puissants et les plus peuplés, seront alors commandées par des lignées Kééta qui se réclament avec quelque vraisemblance des empereurs du Mali médiéval.

scholarly journals The Belief Stories in the Texts of Oral History of the People in Late Adulthood Period

2021 ◽  
pp. 423-430
Author(s):  
Damian Gocół
Keyword(s):  
Oral History ◽  
Late Adulthood ◽  
Divine Intervention ◽  
The People ◽  
History Texts ◽  
The World ◽  
Different Types ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Devil

In my article, I analyze selected belief stories from the oral history texts. The research material contains the three biographical accounts of the people in late adulthood (over 65). The belief stories (belief tales) are one of the genres of speech typical for the accounts rooted in a folk view of the world. The demonic characters appear in them, e. g. the devil, the striga or the południca. The belief stories contain a detailed description of the world. They have an explanatory function. They are to explain how the world works. Belief stories do not appear often in the oral history texts created by the people in late adulthood who were not related to the countryside or were related to it in a limited extent. This way of shaping the narrative may be related to changes in the rationality of the narrators. The common and the scientific view of the world intersect in their narratives. The narrators add the numerous comments to their belief stories, in which they distance themselves from the folk view of the world or try to scientifically rationalize the fantastic events. Nevertheless, the fragments in which other genres of speech are realized, especially in anecdotes, reveal a clear relationship between the narrative of oral history and the common sense and belief vision of the world. The narrators often explain their own experiences by introducing elements of belief tales into other genres. Such fragments reveal the schemes of punishment and reward, non-worldly divine intervention, anthropomorphization of inanimate objects and assigning them the rank of demonic beings. Despite the intersection of different types of rationality in the narratives, a belief-based vision of the world still plays an important role in shaping of the oral narratives about the past.

scholarly journals EXUMAÇÃO DA HISTÓRIA: A TRADIÇÃO ORAL EM PESQUISAS COM RELATOS DE EXPERIÊNCIA QUILOMBOLA

ILUMINURAS ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (46) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Filogênio De Paula Junior ◽  
Cesar Romero Amaral Vieira ◽  
Márcia Cristina Américo ◽  
Viviane Marinho Luiz
Keyword(s):  
Collective Memory ◽  
Oral History ◽  
Social Group ◽  
Oral Tradition ◽  
Graduate Program ◽  
School Education ◽  
Post Graduate ◽  
Education School ◽  
Political Project

ResumoEste artigo apresenta um estudo sobre tradição, transmissão e educação, a partir de duas pesquisas desenvolvidas no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação da Universidade Metodista de Piracicaba sobre uma mesma comunidade quilombola do Vale do Ribeira (SP). A partir de uma reflexão fundamentada na história oral, buscamos compreender o projeto político-educacional e comunitário do Quilombo Ivaporunduva, tentando entender os mecanismos de inserção da educação escolarizada, levando em conta a preservação dos saberes existentes, oriundos de tradições seculares que identificam as pessoas com seu grupo social. Palavras chave: Quilombo Ivaporunduva. Oralidade. Memória coletiva. Educação. Escola.  EXHUMATION OF HISTORY: THE ORAL TRADITION IN RESEARCHES WITH THE QUILOMBOLA EXPERIENCE NARRATIVES Abstract This article aims to present a reflection about tradition, transmission and education, from  two research developed at Post- Graduate Program in Education of the Universidade Metodista de Piracicaba,about of quilombola community of Vale do Ribeira, SP. Starting from a reflection based on oral history, this article aims to understand the educational  and communitarian political project of Quilombo Ivaporunduva. The challenge was attempt to understand the insertion mechanisms of school education along with this traditional community, considering tha preservation of existing knowledge, derived from secular traditions that identify people by their social group. Keywords: Quilombo Ivaporunduva. Orality, Collective Memory, Education, School

Introduction: The Evolution of Oral History

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald A. Ritchie
Keyword(s):  
Eighteenth Century ◽  
Oral History ◽  
Samuel Johnson ◽  
Oral Traditions ◽  
New Yorker ◽  
Greenwich Village ◽  
Standard Procedures ◽  
Digital Recorder ◽  
History Of ◽  
Insight Into

Oral history is as old as the first recorded history and as new as the latest digital recorder. Long before the practice acquired a name and standard procedures, historians conducted interviews to gain insight into great events, beginning at least as early as Thucydides, who used oral history for his account of the Peloponnesian wars. In the eighteenth century, Samuel Johnson commented that “all history was at first oral,” but the term “oral history” was first used in reference to troubadours and oral traditions. However, the study of oral history was taken up seriously only during the twentieth century. Oral history did not attach itself to interviewing until an article appeared in the New Yorker in 1942 about Joe Gould, a Greenwich Village bohemian who claimed to be compiling “An Oral History of Our Time”. This article further discusses the importance of oral history projects and oral historians at the same time.

scholarly journals The hero's journey: tracing the history of the myth to the celebrity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Goldberg
Keyword(s):  
Communication Technology ◽  
Oral Tradition ◽  
Hero's Journey ◽  
Historical Time ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Different Types ◽  
History Of ◽  
Theoretical Analyses

The terms "hero," "heroism," and, more recently, "heroine," are broad, wide ranging, and contested terms prominent within academia yet there remains a general consensus that heroes are, historically, an essential component to society. This paper will identify that there are diverse Western cultural conceptions surrounding the hero. It is therefore important to trace the meaning behind the concept and draw conclusions as to whether or not the hero narrative has developed or shifted over time. Through an intensive review of the literature on the "hero," this research paper critically identifies the historical constructions, empirical observations, and theoretical analyses in order to explore and understand how the hero narrative has changed or retained timeless qualities of meaning or myth. As the hero developed from the Classical times to the present, through the periods of oral tradition to electronic media, those who are identified as a "hero" became more and more far-reaching. This paper constructs several empirical tables that identify similarities and differences concerning how Western society's classification of heroes has developed. By taking into account the different types of heroic figures that have existed across time, including Greek gods, soldiers, community workers, and celebrities, this paper establishes whether or not the conception of the "hero" changes depending on war, gender, race, popular culture, historical time period, and changes in communication technology.

scholarly journals The hero's journey: tracing the history of the myth to the celebrity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Goldberg
Keyword(s):  
Communication Technology ◽  
Oral Tradition ◽  
Hero's Journey ◽  
Historical Time ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Different Types ◽  
History Of ◽  
Theoretical Analyses

The terms "hero," "heroism," and, more recently, "heroine," are broad, wide ranging, and contested terms prominent within academia yet there remains a general consensus that heroes are, historically, an essential component to society. This paper will identify that there are diverse Western cultural conceptions surrounding the hero. It is therefore important to trace the meaning behind the concept and draw conclusions as to whether or not the hero narrative has developed or shifted over time. Through an intensive review of the literature on the "hero," this research paper critically identifies the historical constructions, empirical observations, and theoretical analyses in order to explore and understand how the hero narrative has changed or retained timeless qualities of meaning or myth. As the hero developed from the Classical times to the present, through the periods of oral tradition to electronic media, those who are identified as a "hero" became more and more far-reaching. This paper constructs several empirical tables that identify similarities and differences concerning how Western society's classification of heroes has developed. By taking into account the different types of heroic figures that have existed across time, including Greek gods, soldiers, community workers, and celebrities, this paper establishes whether or not the conception of the "hero" changes depending on war, gender, race, popular culture, historical time period, and changes in communication technology.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document