Experts Answer to Oral History Questions

100 Questions / 39

What is the Position of Subcultures in Oral History?

Machine Translation edited by Mandana Karimi

2026-7-21

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 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.

This time, we asked experts to send their answers by Sunday night so that all answers can be published on Tuesday.

From the interweaving of these answers, using artificial intelligence, we have arrived at theories about oral history that will be published in the near future.

Question 39:

What is the position of subcultures in oral history?

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Answer to Question 39:

Gholamreza Azari Khakster

Subcultures are an inseparable part of oral history because, like political and social issues, they have importance and research value. In addition to recording political and social narratives, oral history researchers also examine and record cultural components such as ideas, customs, folklore, language and dialects, ancient heritages, and indigenous traditions. Therefore, subcultures have an important place in oral history, because many of these elements are not recorded in writing, but are transmitted through speech and narration. Recording these subcultures can pave the way for interdisciplinary studies, especially in the fields of history, sociology, and cultural studies.

Mohammad Mehdi Abdollahzadeh

The overall culture that governs any society is influenced and the result of the many subcultures such as religious minorities, ethnic groups, guilds, and local groups that exist in that society. These groups have differences in values, norms, language, dress, customs, and so on with their own society. Therefore, understanding subcultures plays an important role in understanding the culture of that society. Oral history, which plays a fundamental role in understanding and recording events, experiences, values, and customs of different groups, plays a significant role in understanding the subcultures of each society. By playing this role, the limitations of official and macro-history writing, such as dryness, lack or unreliability of documents, distortion, and bias, are also overcome and it will play a complementary role to official history.

Hassan Beheshtipour

A subculture is a group of people within a larger society that includes a set of values, behaviors, rituals, dress, lifestyle, identity, music, language and specific terms, and patterns of meaning-making. These characteristics distinguish them from the dominant culture and the majority of society; in other words, subcultures are “cultures within a culture.” Oral history is a bridge that brings subcultures from the margins of official history to the text of social history, and in turn, their narratives form an important part of the richness, diversity, and realism of oral history. Oral history, along with sociology, anthropology, and folk culture studies, provides the opportunity to identify, record, and analyze subcultures. Since these groups often do not leave behind many written documents, many of their experiences, rituals, terms, collective memory, ways of life, and value systems can only be transmitted through the narratives of members of the same group; therefore, oral history is in many cases the only way to access this layer of social history.

Ja’far Golshan

A subculture is a group of people within a larger society that shares a set of values, behaviors, rituals, dress, lifestyle, identity, music, language, specific terms, and patterns of meaning-making. These characteristics distinguish them from the dominant culture and the majority of society; in other words, subcultures are “cultures within a culture.” Oral history, along with sociology, anthropology, and folk culture studies, provides the opportunity to identify, record, and analyze subcultures. Since these groups often leave little written evidence, many of their experiences, rituals, terms, collective memory, ways of life, and value systems can only be transmitted through the narratives of members of the same group. Therefore, oral history is in many cases the only way to access this layer of social history and represent the cultural diversity of society.

Abolfat’h Mo’men

Subcultures can be considered and examined from two perspectives in oral history. First, they are themselves a research subject, and their study is an undeniable necessity in introducing, recognizing, and perpetuating local and indigenous cultures. Second, even when narrating a common topic, narrators unconsciously reflect their subcultural elements, such as vocabulary, beliefs, rituals, and lifestyles, in the narrative. Therefore, both aspects are important in oral history research and should be considered in recording and compiling them, if the main topic is not harmed. In addition, explaining these items in the footnote, in addition to familiarizing readers with these terms and cultures, also helps to preserve this spiritual heritage, better understand the subject and events, and enrich local and regional oral history.

Abolfazl Hassanabadi

A subculture refers to a set of behavioral patterns, beliefs, symbols, values, rituals, and ways of life that give a social group an identity and distinguish it from others within a larger society. The most important characteristics of subcultures include not being written and emphasizing oral culture. One of the functions of oral history is to document and reveal the layers of identity in subcultures and give them meaning. Subcultures are usually on the margins of power, and through oral history, by recording and recording their feelings, fears, hopes, and lived experiences, it is possible to show how they interact with the dominant culture and provide the basis for preserving or reconstructing their identity.

Hamid Qazvini

Subcultures are closely related to the lives of ethnic groups and social groups, and in this sense, they are the subject of cultural history study. In fact, oral history attempts to produce reliable and accurate sources for cultural history through interviews with members of groups, ethnic groups, minorities, and groups affiliated with a social and cultural environment. Cultural history is inevitably forced to seek help from oral history to understand and record events, identify trends and mechanisms, recognize the past of the rituals, that govern a part of society, and understand the background of these groups, and perhaps no other reliable possibility can be compared to it.

Seyyed Mohammad Sadeq Feyz

Perhaps oral history can be considered the narrator of subcultures. Official and comprehensive history has always been and will be discussed and scrutinized; but subcultures, which are on the margins and contain the pure points that constitute the main culture of any society, are less considered. The same points that, when combined, clearly reveal the clear atmosphere of the culture of any society, with all its purity and differences. It is as if you have traveled from a noisy and smoky city to a pleasant village, with very kind people, to catch your breath.

Oral history recounts the very purity that has declined in the modern world.

Artificial Intelligence

Subcultures have a vital but often marginal position in oral history. They are the silent narrators of the official narrative; the keepers of the customs, dialects, songs, and memories of marginalized groups. Oral history, unlike written history, provides a platform for these voices to be represented and allows them to record their own version of events. However, these narratives are often overshadowed by the dominant narrative and require the activism of the narrators and the interest of subsequent generations to survive. Subcultures are not only part of oral history; they also breathe new life into it and prevent the homogenization of collective memory. (deepseek)

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Subcultures play a crucial role in oral history because they record the experiences, values, and ways of life of groups that are usually less visible in official historical narratives. By recording the memories and narratives of members of these groups, oral history helps to preserve cultural identity, transmit traditions, and reveal social diversity. The study of subcultures through oral history also allows for the recognition of different perspectives on historical events, social relationships, and cultural change. As a result, oral history bridges the gap between official history and the lived experiences of individuals, providing a more complete, multi-voiced, and realistic picture of the past. (chatgpt)