Experts’ Answers to Oral History Questions

100 Questions/17

Translated by Mandana Karimi

2026-2-16

We asked several researchers and activists in the field of oral history to express their views on oral history questions. The names of each participant are listed at the beginning of their answers, and the text of all answers will be published on this portal by the end of the week. The goal of this project is to open new doors to an issue and promote scientific discussions in the field of oral history.

In this project, a question is asked every Saturday, and we ask experts to present their views in the form of a short text (about 100 words) by the end of the week. All answers will be published together so that the audience can compare and analyze the views.

The content is the opinions of the senders and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Oral History website. Although the answers are supposed to be based on about 100 words, in order to be polite and not to leave the discussion incomplete, in some cases, answers longer than this are also accepted.

We asked the experts to submit their answers by Sunday night so that all answers can be published on Tuesday.

Question 17:

How can oral history contribute to cultural history?

Mohammad Mehdi Abdollahzade

One of the main concerns of historians has been the correct knowledge and understanding of history. In this process, in order to expand their knowledge and the diversity of topics studied in recent decades, the approach of "cultural history" was proposed. In this interdisciplinary method, the findings and methods of sciences related to history are used. This branch of knowledge deals with history and culture from below and away from the traditional elite. Therefore, cultural history is also the history of thought and thought and allows the historian to understand history from the perspective of the people of that time.
In oral history, which is based on interviews, it can only provide some of the data needed for cultural history in cases that are no more than a hundred and eighty years ago.

Hassan Beheshtipour

To answer this fundamental question, it is first necessary to clarify what is meant by cultural history. Because without a precise definition of cultural history, the relationship between the two fields either remains vague or is reduced to the level of scattered examples.
In academic sources, cultural history is introduced as a branch of historiography that studies the ways in which humans make meaning in specific historical contexts. According to this definition, cultural history focuses on beliefs, values, symbols, language, habits, emotions, rituals, and ways of life.
From here, we can identify the contributions of oral history to cultural history. By recording the narratives and life experiences of ordinary people, oral history is one of the most important tools for accessing the data that cultural history needs. Accessing the invisible layers of culture and establishing a link between collective memory, identity, and culture of a society are among the most important contributions of oral history to cultural history.

Gholamreza Azari Khakestar

A large part of people's interactions is shaped by culture, and cultural history has been based largely on oral narratives and transmissions from the past to the present. These narratives reflect the cultural life of humans in the form of art, music, customs, folklore, beliefs, and rituals. In the meantime, oral history, as a scientific and systematic approach, plays an important role in recording and documenting the informal layers of cultural history.
In the contemporary world, given the rapid pace of cultural developments and changing lifestyles, the importance of oral history has increased more than ever. Recording and analyzing oral narratives can help preserve collective memory, better understand experiences, and strengthen the cultural identity of societies, and establish a link between the past, present, and cultural future.

Abolfazl Hassanabadi

Cultural history studies the meanings, symbols, beliefs, values, ways of life, habits, rituals, and patterns of thought of people in the context of time. In this approach, history is not simply a narrative of political and economic events and developments, but also an examination of how people understood, interpreted, and experienced the lived world in different historical periods. Oral history helps cultural history reconstruct this lived experience. Oral narratives show how individuals in a society experienced and interpreted cultural phenomena in their daily lives. These narratives allow cultural history to go beyond the level of describing structures and to analyze how people think in the face of social and cultural changes.

Shafigheh Niknafs

Inspired by anthropology, cultural history focuses on the social, intellectual, artistic, and everyday aspects of a people’s or nation’s life history. In addition to the works of intellectual elites, cultural history also considers ordinary people and includes their rituals, beliefs, art, literature, language, daily life experiences, clothing, and food. Oral history, with its microhistory approach, is a rich source of these components and is intertwined with the narrator’s psyche and the cultural characteristics of the society. Oral history is a dynamic field for knowing which national and cultural traditions a society has been influenced by, and which ideas and arts, lifestyles, and mental and spiritual states have made it what it is.

Hamid Ghazvini

Cultural history attempts to study the past through society, culture, politics, literature, and art. In this process, human life (from every class and social position) is important in all its individual and social aspects, and even emotions and feelings. In this regard, cultural history has a deep connection with anthropology. With this introduction, it should be said that oral history has a high potential for providing the raw materials needed by cultural historians; because man, as the most important actor in society, can speak about himself, his experiences, his goals and ideals, his feelings and emotions, the rituals he has adhered to, and dozens of other topics, without intermediaries, and can guide the cultural historian to an accurate picture of the past.

Seyyed Mohammad Sadegh Feyz

If oral history gives up on official history or at least does not consider itself a competitor of official history and goes its own way; it will inevitably turn to cultural history and will also help it.
We know that local and regional history, as well as organizational and subject history, are complementary to general and official history. If the oral history historian involves himself in small, regional and local cultural traditions and symbols, he will be able to make a great contribution to revealing the general history of the country. There are still undiscovered aspects of the culture and art of this land that are being forgotten and destroyed over time, and the oral historian must work to delay their inevitable death.

AI

Oral history plays a significant role in enriching cultural history by recording the memories, experiences, and perspectives of individuals. This method is particularly crucial for preserving voices that are marginalized or underrepresented in official documents. Oral history allows cultural historians to uncover details of everyday life, beliefs, traditions, values, and subcultures that are less readily available in written documents. These personal memories provide a deeper, more multifaceted picture of how culture is understood and experienced by ordinary people, filling gaps in traditional historiography. They also contribute to a better understanding of intangible heritage and cultural developments.