The voice of the past : oral history / Paul Thompson and Joanna Bornat.

Author/creator Thompson, Paul, 1935- author.
Format Book
EditionFourth edition.
PublicationNew York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2017.
Descriptionpages cm.
Subjects

SeriesOxford oral history series
Oxford oral history series. ^A1004173
Contents Machine generated contents note: -- Preface to the Fourth Edition -- 1. History and the Community -- 2. Historians and Oral History -- 3. Reaching Out: Other Cultures -- 4. Parallel Strands -- 5. Transforming Oral History through Theory -- 6. The Achievement of Oral History -- 7. Evidence -- 8. Memory and the Self -- 9. Projects -- 10. The Interview -- 11. After the Interview -- 12. Interpretation -- Appendix: Three Life-Story Interview Guides -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Websites -- Index.
Abstract "Oral history gives history back to the people in their own words. And in giving a past, it also helps them towards a future of their own making. Oral history and life stories help to create a truer picture of the past and the changing present, documenting the lives and feelings of all kinds of people, many otherwise hidden from history. It explores personal and family relationships and uncovers the secret cultures of work. It connects public and private experience, and it highlights the experiences of migrating between cultures. At the same time it can bring courage to the old, meaning to communities, and contact between generations. Sometimes it can offer a path for healing divided communities and those with traumatic memories. Without it the history and sociology of our time would be poor and narrow. In this fourth edition of his pioneering work, fully revised with Joanna Bornat, Paul Thompson challenges the accepted myths of historical scholarship. He discusses the reliability of oral evidence in comparison with other sources and considers the social context of its development. He looks at the relationship between memory, the self and identity. He traces oral history through its own past and weighs up the recent achievements of a movement which has become international, with notably strong developments in North America, Europe, Australia, Latin America, South Africa and the Far East, despite resistance from more conservative academics. This new edition combines the classic text of The Voice of the Past with many new sections, including especially the worldwide development of different forms of oral history and the parallel memory boom, as well as discussions of theory in oral history and of memory, trauma and reconciliation. It offers a deep social and historical interpretation along with succinct practical advice on designing and carrying out a project, The Voice of the Past remains an invaluable tool for anyone setting out to use oral history and life stories to construct a more authentic and balanced record of the past and the present."-- Provided by publisher.
Abstract "Oral history and life stories, through recording the experiences of people of all kinds, invigorate both past and present, broadening life's base with unique testimony from hidden spheres of experience such as family relationships, the informal culture of work or the lives of migrants. This fully revised fourth edition of Paul Thompson's classic The Voice of the Past offers an invaluable tool for anyone using this approach"-- Provided by publisher.
LCCN 2016045068
ISBN9780199335466
ISBN019933546X (paperback)

Availability

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Joyner General Stacks D16.14 .T48 2017 ✔ Available Place Hold