Oral History Training
The Act of Ending in Interview Types
Adjusted by Golestan Jafarian
Translated by Ruhollah Golmoradi
2021-09-21
Just as a good start is one of the most important parts in oral history interview, how to finish the interview is also a formative and decisive one. Most of considerations and remarks about "good act of ending" is relevant in "serial interviews". A serial interview means an interview with a narrator during several follow-up sessions. The narrator, for example, recounts his memories completely for the interviewer during several meetings. In this type of interview, the act of ending questions for each session is a technique and expertise.
On the contrary, there are single-session interviews. This means that the narrator is supposed to recount sum of his memories about a particular person or a specific subject during one meeting. Here, the interviewer is allowed to continue the interview until the narrator's conversations about the person or subject in question, even if the interview time lasts a little more than usual. " Don't you have anything to talk about...?" could be the interviewer's final question in this type of conversation.
When do we finish the interview?
Age and physical conditions of narrator are the most important factors in determining duration of the interview. It is advisable for the interviewer to have simple and general information about the narrator's physical condition before the interview begins and at the initial stage of understanding.[1] [1] Sometimes older people have physical limitations that may not be imaginable for a young interviewer; for example, people over the age of 70, especially men, have frequent urination; such a person can, at the maximum, sit in one place for 90 minutes, so if the interviewer does not pay attention to this issue, after an hour and a half, the narrator may be pressured, his/her memory does not work properly, and give superficial answers to questions.
In general, it can be said that from 90 to 120 minutes after start of a dialogue, it is time to finish it; because 90 minutes is threshold of an adult's tolerance for sitting in one place. After this time, there may be spinal pain and the body becomes tired. Here, the interviewer must finish the conversation as soon as he/she sees the narrator being impatient and talks around.
How do we deal an excited narrator?
Sometimes near the end (e.g., at the minute of 90), the interviewer feels the narrator has become enthusiastic and perhaps answers two other questions with motivation and carefully. But on the other hand, she/he knows that the issue is not just these two questions, there are still many questions about the narrator's life and it is supposed the next interview will be held in a short distance. In such a situation, it is better for the interviewer to act according to the formula and recommendation of Islam in eating: just as a few morsels left to satiate should stop eating, here it is also better for the interviewer to finish the conversation; like ending episodes of a TV series. In the series, usually the director, in the nick of time, when the excited viewer wants to know what happens next, interrupts the series and refers the audience to the next episode so that he remains enthusiastic and inquisitive.
For example, it is now near the adhan of Maghreb, and you know the narrator wants to go to prayer, so end of the interview time will be the adhan of Maghreb. In such a situation, you ask an interesting question and the narrator enthusiastically says, "This is very interesting, and it has a long story," here you should act like an artist and say, "so the answer to that question is given in the next meeting. The next session, we begin with this question.” So, the narrator keeps his word in mind, thinks about the details, and the next session tells it fully. While, if he/she wants to deal with the matter in that short period of time before the adhan, may be his/her talk remains unfinished or important details remains unsaid and disappear.[2]
Related Topics:
“Early knowledge, before the beginning”
“Characterization in Oral History”
"Using Photos in Interviews and Memory Books"
Guiding the interview process toward the main direction and in line with final goal
[1] For more information on the early stage of cognition, see the article "Early knowledge, before the beginning".
[2] From the workshop on oral history training taught by of Mohammad Ghasemipour in Tabriz, November 2017.
Number of Visits: 655
The latest
- Memories of Sardar Sayyid Rahim Safavi of the Days of War
- Baladchi
- Memories of a Mourning Ceremony at the Mirjavah Border Regiment
- SABAH (79)
- Oral History News of Shahrivar 1400 (August-September, 2021)
- Short Narrations on Arbaeen
- Oral History of Veteran Haj Jafar Bagheri
- Border Guards of the Police Force
Most visited
- Oral History News of Shahrivar 1400 (August-September, 2021)
- Oral History of Veteran Haj Jafar Bagheri
- Border Guards of the Police Force
- Short Narrations on Arbaeen
- SABAH (78)
- Memories of Sardar Sayyid Rahim Safavi of the Days of War
- SABAH (79)
- Memories of a Mourning Ceremony at the Mirjavah Border Regiment
On the Day 31st Shahrivar 1359 (22nd September 1980)
In the summer of 1980, a member of the Islamic Association of the Dezful Vahdati Base reported: "Iraqi plane MIG has been appearing in Dezful for several days. The defense could shoot them, but the base commander preferred not shoot them. When the MIGs were gone, permission to fire was issued and our expensive ammunition is wasted." He added: "Meanwhile, the commander has planted poppies in the garden in front of his house and he does not fear to meet someone."Armored General
He came wearing a dress in ripe wheat color, black high-heeled varnished boots, high-quality leather gloves, and gold-rimmed glasses over his nose; a leather hat special for armored horsemen and the golden medal of Fath 2 with three palm tree leaves and the dome of Khorramshahrs Jame (Grand) Mosque as well as the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran installed on the collar of his blue coat.Importance of Narrator Tone in Implementation
In order to better understand meaning and tone of the narrator, the author must be precise in ordinary peoples conversation, speech, and dialogue. For example, when you go to Bazaar, be more careful to hear normal conversations and actions and verbal reactions of people that are going on; like a surprise reaction. In implementation, we must respect the narrators tone and expression, and be faithful to it. One of the advantages of bringing the narrators tone ...Taking a look at the Political and Social Life of Ayatollah Haj Sheikh Hadi Barikbin
On the cover of the book, it is written: "The present book is a narration of the past life of a religious-political person in the Qazvin region; one who led the Friday Imamate in Qazvin for more than three decades; Hajj Sheikh Hadi Barikbin who had experienced two lifestyles as a child. The ritual and policy of Iranian life in the urban society in which Mr. Hadi was raised there was a strong connection between this model and Iranian identity.
