Interview in Oral History of Sacred Defense-3

Compiled by: Mohammad Mehdi Abdullahzadeh
Translated by: Fazel Shirzad

2023-12-13

Note: According to many experts, interview is the heart of oral history and plays the role of the first brick in oral history. That’s why it is necessary even for people who have experience and knowledge in this field to acquire more knowledge, and modify and complement previously used methods. This necessity is more evident when we re-examine the interviews that were not conducted with the necessary standards.

    In the previous sections, "interviewer's requirements", "interview's requirements" and "interviewee's requirements" were described. In this section, we will deal with "contextual studies".

Contextual studies

The interviewer should not put himself in the live stream of the interview without introduction, unknown and without pre-interview measures. One of the most important axes of the interviewer's work before conducting the interview is brief studies about the topic of the event, the event or its time period. That is, s/he should study and examine the written sources - both written and visual about that subject - as much as possible. Knowing people's moods, behavioral actions and reactions, problems and defects, possible wastes and capabilities, before facing the interviewee, plays a valuable role in the success of the interview.

The importance of preliminary research before the interview is that it provides basic information about the subject to the interviewer. In order to prepare to ask informed questions, the interviewer must research the background of the person and the subject. This research includes the subject of an interview that is going to be conducted. It is even possible that there have been works done on similar and close topics that have been published under the title of "Oral Memoirs" or "Oral History". In field studies, we want to know what others have done in this and similar cases, how and with what quality. After choosing the topic, background studies are done by referring to the documents and documents surrounding the topic and problem that we have chosen for research.

The more the interviewer works hard and acquires more knowledge in this part, the smoother his path will be in the interview process. In this case, the overall goals of that project will be defined better and more precisely. Also, under each goal, specific questions are asked, the total answer of which is an answer for each of the goals or basic questions of the research. In this case, the time of each interview session will be optimally used. Also, the interview time will not be spent on irrelevant questions and answers.

The oral history interviewer's knowledge about the subject of the interview and its surrounding issues should be as much or more than the narrator's knowledge on that subject. This importance will not be achieved except with targeted and planned studies. However, during the interview session, the interviewer should not reveal this knowledge to the narrator.

In the subject of the interview, you can also use the texts prepared by the narrator's comrades. For example, if we are going to interview a captives of the Sacred Defense, it is necessary to look at several books of memoirs of different captives. In this case, in addition to the fact that we can use their information, by analyzing their questions and answers, we will reach a more favorable pattern in questioning and managing interview sessions.

Before the interview, one should get necessary and general information about the place of birth, personality, mother tongue, customs, culture and occupation and the role of the interviewee in the subject of the interview. In some cases, this stage is completed with a few internet searches and reading a few books and magazines. In some cases, it is more difficult. For example, we might want to interview a warship captain. In this case, we should read some books in this area. In the interview sessions, we can both ask well and correctly, and also understand what the narrator means by certain terms and expressions.

It is true that it is possible for the interviewer to ask such things during the interview, but the narrator should not teach the interviewer like a teacher and the interview session should not be like a classroom. If an interviewer cannot pronounce some terms related to the subject of the interview correctly, then the interviewee will feel uncomfortable. In this case, he will unconsciously avoid expressing some sensitive issues. In the same way, an interview with a fighter jet pilot, camp commander, observer, destroyer, artillery commander, frontline doctor, logistics, cooperation, etc. It is only by mastering the subject of the interview that the interviewer will notice the contradictions and mistakes of the narrator. In this case, he will guide it in the right direction by intervening in the interview process.

The biggest advantage of preliminary studies is the greater self-confidence of the interviewer during the interview. However, each interview has its own conditions and is influenced by the subject, the personality of the interviewee, the personality of the interviewer and some other factors. In this context, changing each one makes an interview different from all other interviews.

By using the pre-interview data that is held with the interviewee, it is possible to specify the key concepts of the upcoming interview. Then, using these words, the interviewer will go to the literature related to the interviewee's position. Also, asking for help from people who have more experience and knowledge in this field allows us to access the needed resources faster.

One of the common tasks in obtaining the background of the interview is to use the topic sheets of the works that are available in the libraries in the field of that topic. One of the uses of these findings is to help clarify some terms mentioned in the interview. Therefore, the necessary specifications of the found books should be recorded for future use.

To be continued…

Interview in Oral History of Sacred Defense-1

Interview in Oral History of Sacred Defense-2