The Voice of the Past: Oral History

by Paul Thompson, Joanna Bornat (With)

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.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Oral History

502 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Paul Thompson (born 1935) is a British sociologist and oral historian. Prior to his recent retirement, he held the position of Research Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex. Thompson is regarded as a pioneer in social science research, particularly due to the development of life stories and oral history within sociology and social history.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Joseph N · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn’t normally include books from my course, but I found this one so interesting I read the whole thing. Oral history is a fascinating subject-area, and reading this has inspired me to conduct my own interviews at some point in the near future. It is highly readable and the book on oral history I would recommend to anyone approaching the subject.

[Soph Nova · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because of some oral history work I was thinking about doing, and it was informative in the history/theory/practice of oral history; however, it is very much a textbook and took me long time to get through given how dry it is.

[Anon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unsurprisingly idealistically promotes oral history as a 'democratic' form of 'social justice' which can give a voice to those so-called 'ordinary people' marginalised in the historical record.

Interesting on historiographical fashion moving away from oral testimony with Ranke's 'professionalisation' of source-criticism elevating documentary evidence. However, long tradition, spanning Herodotus, Bede, Clarendon, and Michelet re-emerging with social historians c.1900 such as Webb and Mayhew.

Methodological questions raised. Do people filter/edit what they say in an interview scenario? From a psychology perspective, people try to make sense of and cohere their stories, aligning them with broader social/cultural discourses (Halbwachs idea of individual testimony revealing collective memories). Whether therapeutic disputed, but certain examples suggest giving a voice to ppl. can be so: Kleinman 'Illness Narratives' (1988), the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa (1997-9), 'Shoah' (1985).

Really interesting, current, important examples. For instance, testimony of the Holocaust. 'Final Account' (2020) by Luke Holland [after book's publication] touches on many of the issues. People trying to reconcile their roles in the Holocaust (just following orders, would be in danger if didn't; never a Nazi; not their problem etc.).

Difference between journalism and oral history unclear: Piers Morgan's 'Life Stories' or Kugan Cassius from IFL TV oral history? Surely yes.

Interesting bits and pieces such as 'nine-tenths of those running Indian restaurants in Britain com[ing] from the single town of Sylhet in the Ganges delta' (probably wouldn't know without oral history).

[scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely a joyful read. openly Socialist (writing in the late 1970's), the book champions a field of historical/qualitative enquiry which can allow the researcher to give voice to those who have traditionally been silenced or muffled by the dominant sectors of society.

[Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

The saving grace of this topic when I had to study it

[Phoenix2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

very helpfull and interesting

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Manual minucioso da prática da história oral, desde as entrevistas até à produção de textos historiográficos, de acordo com o pressuposto de que a metodologia é válida para o conhecimento histórico dos acontecimentos e fenómenos históricos que fogem aos documentos escritos.

«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», p.308

[Joel Belliveau · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic and a guide, combining depth and practical pointers.