The boundaries of oral history are extremely porous. It crosses the lines between the pre-modern and the modern periods; between the pre-literate and literate cultures; between individual and collective, and between the subject and the writer. Ronald J. Grele, in his entry on 'Oral History' writes, "when oral historians or those who use the term oral history in their writing, describe what it is they do, they mix genres with abandon. Sometimes what is being described is oral tradition; at others life history, life review, or life course. For some oral historians the practice is the collection of interviews for archival purposes, to provide a record for the future. For others it is the conduct of interviews for particular publications or public history projects, and for still others it is a pathway to community empowerment. In recent years oral history has become a noun, the thing itself is the thing being collected, rather than the activity for interviewing for historical purposes. Indeed there is even debate over whether oral historians simply collect oral histories or create them".
Jan Vansina, great oral historian who has worked in Africa, writes, "oral traditions have a part to play in the reconstruction of the past. The importance of... [Continue to Read Complete Answer]
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