Oral histories are the stories that living people tell about their past and the past of other individuals. Preservation of history has proved a vital phase within the first phase of genealogical research as well as in the data preservation (Fabre, O'meally, " Sitkoff, 1995). Both public history and oral history are regarded as growth engines of a historical discipline because it absorbs many historians that compete in a very tight job market. The importance of oral history traverses beyond just the practical considerations. The methodological innovations of oral history enhance as well as challenges the discipline. In this term paper, I will focus on the importance of oral history and its role in both politics and culture (Cruikshank, 1994). The thesis of this paper is; oral history shapes the political and cultural memories and thus providing historical constructions and reflections.
Oral history has may uses. It is a way of collecting, preserving, and recording a broad range of personal experiences not well captured in written sources. In African traditional culture, beliefs, religion, values, and morals among other elements serve a crucial role in society. Upholding of the societal values and norms is regarded as a sacred affair mainly that in religion is a way of life in the African society. Moreover, the younger generation is curious and often inquisitive about the history of their society, and thus oral history fulfills this particular demand by preserving knowledge essential for the new generation (Thompson, 2017).
The oral history extensively shapes the present culture. It provides the history and origin of particular culture, and the availability of a specific artifact in a community might be perceived as a historical fact, but the extent and nature of the present oral information regarding an object depend on the beliefs, attitudes, and culture (Dunaway " Baum, 1996). Objects connect the present directly with the past and act as direct expressions of the culture of their creator at the time they were made. Utilization of oral evidence provides a significant source in researching artifacts since every source is a reflection of the specific conceptions about a particular culture. Oral history, therefore, provides insights into different perceptions of the past although it might distort the events resulting in misconception (Taylor " Deckman, 1984). Oral history is important in pop culture. In recent years, the format of oral history has had a ubiquitous presence within the journalism industry. Over 260 pop-culture oral histories exist.
The oral history shapes the political landscape. It is important in developing public policy as well as enhancing the understanding of the public policy process (Dunaway " Baum, 1996). To be able to understand the 21st-century budgetary politics, oral history encourages individual to take part in the policy-oriented oral history probing. Also, oral history helps the policy historians in dealing with issues of information scarcity. Interviews are important across the political spectrum because it offers unique insights into political figures, events, and movements. Oral history with those in the political parties, civil service, and government administration helps in understanding the changing face politics as well as their impact in the 21st century and beyond (Portelli, 2009).
In conclusion, oral history has vital importance in both culture and politics. The political memories are often embedded in the oral history which gives a broader approach to political memories as the historical constructions as well as reflection on the historians' place in the disputes over the past. Also, oral history broadens the understanding of the culture through comparisons of the past and present practices.
References
Cruikshank, J. (1994). Oral tradition and oral history: Reviewing some issues. The Canadian Historical Review, 75(3), 403-418.
Dunaway, D. K., " Baum, W. K. (Eds.). (1996). Oral history: an interdisciplinary anthology. Altamira Press.
Fabre, G., O'meally, R., " Sitkoff, H. (1995). History and memory in African-American culture. History: Reviews of New Books, 24(1), 10-11.
Portelli, A. (2009). What makes oral history different. In Oral history, oral culture, and Italian Americans (pp. 21-30). Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
Taylor, W. D., " Deckman, D. M. (1984). Orality and literacy: The technologizing of the word. ECTJ, 32(4), 244-247.
Thompson, P. (2017). The voice of the past: Oral history. Oxford university press.
