Oral History Interview & Importance Part 11

Pre-interview Justifications

Hamid Qazvini
Natalie Haghverdian

2017-6-28

It was stated in the previous notes that both parties to the interview should have sufficient knowledge about one another and a proper understanding of the interview subject. The interview shall not start unless there is sufficient knowledge and recognition. It is for this very reason that the project goals and subject and question limits shall be defined and proper agreement reached with the narrator prior to the interview. In fact, it is the duty of the interviewer to resolve any probable concern of the narrator which might affect the interview and its quality. There are many people with legal, political, security, social and cultural concerns or constraints for which the issue shall be recognized and resolved prior to the interview to prevent any complications. Most importantly the narrator should be properly informed if the project is supported by a research institution or publication or is just a personal project. 

On the other hand, the narrator shall not suffer divergence on the subject. In some cases, despite direct observations and having information, problems occurring in the time of the event or afterwards the narrator suffers divergence and change of attitude on the subject and is not ready for a precise and realistic interview. Accordingly, the narrator shall not be pressured and until he/she is properly justified on the subject, interview shall be avoided.

Another issues which require justification are the questions and the relevant answers. The narrator shall know how the questions will be asked and how he/she is to answer them. You should ask him/her to recount technical issues in a simple and understandable language. Also, the narrator shall offer a general and summarized recount or suffice to yes or no answers or body language which does not fulfill the intended target. The narrator shall be justified prior to the interview on how he/she is expected to answer the questions. The narrator might suffer audio and visual or speech limitations. Proper measures shall be taken accordingly on the method of the interview and there has to be a mutual agreement between the parties.

The narrator might have his/her own justification which has to be heard and recorded carefully to observe all possible recommendations on the interview method. The narrator shall be supported to transparently share his/her interviews. For instance, there might be limits in the subject and questions and answers implied by the narrator or he/she might have concerns on the publication methods. The narrator shall be informed that the interview is not private and a friendly gap and his/her words will be published eventually. Hence the narrator shall be informed on the publication media and probable formats. Obviously the narrator shall be informed on the archive methods and audio visual recordings and be assured of safekeeping by the scholar and colleagues.

The most important points to be taken into account in describing the project and providing justification to the narrator are his/her social status and characteristics and one unique method shall not be applied in all interviews. Sometimes, justifications surpass the mentality of the narrator or lead into misunderstanding. The narrator shall be encouraged on the subject to feel that his/her memories are valuable which have a crucial role in provision of the history.

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 1 - Oral History, Path to Cultural Dialogue

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 2 - Characteristics of an Interviewer

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 3 - Selecting a Subject

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 4 - Narrator Identification & Selection

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 5 - Goal Setting

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 6 - Importance of Pre-interview Data Collection

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 7 - To Schedule & Coordinate an Interview

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 8 - Required Equipment & Accessories

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 9 - Presentation is vital

Oral History Interview & Importance Part 10 - Interview Room