Oral history Guidelines
Table of contents:
Doing Oral History
Table of Contents:
- Doing Oral History
- Oral history project 1: Forced Removals from Roosboom
- Oral history project 2: The name change of Stanger to KwaDukuza
- Oral history project 3: The impact of apartheid on peoples' lives - 1948-1960
- Oral history project 4: Why is there a split in the Nazareth Baptist church (Kwa Shembe)?
- Oral history project 5: The life story of a person who contributed positively to our community
- Oral history project 6 : The principles/values of the constitution and cultural practices
- Oral history project 7 : Conducting oral history with large classes in a disadvantaged school
- The final product
- Further suggested readings
Edited by Dr Johan Wassermann (2002)
This publication is a product of an Oral History workshop organised by the Department of Education and the facilitator was Dr Wassermann from the University of KZN Compiled, collated, edited and enhanced by Dr Johan Wassermann
Course Coordinator – History Education
School of Social Science Education
Faculty of Education
University of KwaZulu-Natal
Private Bag X03
Ashwood 3605
Phone: 031 – 2603484
Fax: 031 - 2603595
Email: wassermannj@ukzn.ac.za
This publication originated during the Oral History Workshop held from 20-22 February 2007 in Durban. The workshop was an initiative of the Department of Education and the South African History Project and presented, under the leadership of Dr. Johan Wassermann, by the History Education discipline, School of Social Science Education, Faculty of Education, University of KwaZulu-Natal. The purpose of the workshop, attended by subject advisors in History and Social Science employed by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education, was to build capacity in Oral History practice, a vital methodology in giving a Historical voice to the voiceless. In the process a range of materials and powerpoints were distributed to the advisors to be cascaded down, along with the portable skills they had gained, to History teachers in the field. Ultimately the vision was for all learners in KwaZulu-Natal, regardless of their grade, to become better at doing Oral History.
During the workshop the subject advisors were tasked to, in groups, plan an Oral History project according that could be implemented in schools. They had to use the following road criteria:
- It must have a clear topic/problem statement/research question
- An explaintion why the topic was chosen
- How could the project be presented – the end product
- What would be considered when assessing the project – for example: planning, preparation, interviews, analysis of interviews or end product
- The nature of the project - individual, pair or group project
- Possible questions to be used in a semi-structured interview
- An explanation on what benefits the project would hold
- A list of anticipated logistical and Oral History challenges – as well as an explanation on how these could be resolved
This booklet, containing examples of 6 possible Oral History projects is the result of this exercise. My task was to compile, collate, edite and enhance the projects put forward. To boot I have added a 7th project – how do do Oral History without any electronic equipment in a disadvaniged school. Hopefully this booklet, the result of work done during the mentioned workshop, will assist in getting learners to be better at doing Oral History and educators – by using the examples below as guidelines – to be better at facilitating and managing Oral History work in their classes.
Dr JM Wassermann
