Experts Answer to Oral History Questions

100 Questions/ 45

Is it necessary to address failures and bitterness in oral history?

Machine Translation Edited by Mandana Karimi

2026-9-1

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 opinions 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, more than this number of answers are also accepted.

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

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

Question 45:

Is it necessary to address failures and bitterness in oral history?

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Answers to Question 45:

Hassan Beheshtipour

In oral history, we cannot only record positive events and incidents in the form of victories because the audience expects us to present events as they happened and it does not matter whether the outcome of the narrative is positive or negative. Since the oral historian considers himself or herself obliged to represent the narrator's experience frankly, not to judge the good or badness of that event. Silences, pauses, denials and resentments are part of the historical document. A smooth and painless narrative is not only incomplete, but also sometimes dishonest. If the real goal of this field is to "return history to the people", it must be admitted that history is full of defeats and bitterness, and the narration of these bitterness’s is not a sideline to the historian's work, but their main duty.

Mohammad Mehdi Abdollahzadeh

It has been said: "History is neither solely a record of triumphs nor of tragedies; one cannot accept the first part and discard the second part; because in that case, history becomes a tool for recording "what we like" and covering up "what we don't like". While the bitters and sweets of life are intertwined, and the goal of the science of history is to achieve truths from the past; because the past is the cause of the present and it ultimately ends in the future. Therefore, one cannot and should not be selective. On the one hand, the experiences and reactions of individuals to failures and bitterness are of particular importance and can be an inspiration to others.

Hamid Ghazvini

Failures and bitterness are part of the life of an individual and society. If the goal of oral history is to recount events, record them for writing a biography, learning from history, establishing identity, or answering questions in various scientific fields, and the like, then all aspects of them must be addressed. Seeing only victories, joys, and sweetness, or even making failures appear, as a kind of victory, as if people had no failures or bitterness in their lives, will present an incomplete picture of them. Retelling failures familiarizes people and society with reality and removes them from the delusional view of judging yesterday, recognizing the present, and evaluating tomorrow.

Abolfat’h Mo’men

In oral history, the historian is required to capture all the narrator's memories; including failures, bitterness, and successes, especially if the archive of narratives is a priority. Successes, failures, and misfortunes are considered part of the events of the event. Of course, depending on the subject, the interviewee may not address or pay attention to these issues. Since historical data is for solving present and future problems, examining failures and bitterness can be effective for future success and preventing their repetition. Perhaps in an event, these same failures and bitterness were effective in determining the path. Therefore, the narrator's memories, including victories and misfortunes, are important and should be extracted and preserved in detail.

Gholamreza Azizi

Part of the oral history data in interviews is dedicated to the events of the narrator's life and times. Failures and bitterness are also an integral part of these narratives; perhaps these experiences have changed the course of the interviewee's life and become one of the important chapters in their life. Failures and bitterness are usually accompanied by loss, frustration, and difficult experiences and can have a profound impact on the attitude and decisions of the individual. Therefore, recording these experiences in oral history interviews is of particular importance because the narrative of such difficulties, in addition to reflecting the life of the individual, can also reveal and perpetuate some of the social and historical realities of a period.

Seyyed Mohammad Sadegh Feyz

Bitterness and defeat, like victories and successes, are part of life and history. Eliminating one and relying on the other is both a contradiction, a concealment of the truth, and immoral. A clear example of this is in the oral history of war, although it is also true in other cases. No army has ever been victorious in any era, and every victory is the result of experiences, including previous defeats. Look at the long line of candidates for various elections, not only in Iran but also in other countries. Often, they have tasted defeat several times in order to win, and still have not taken their baskets off the electoral line, hoping that one day they may taste victory. So should not these be the narrators of oral history?

Abolfazl Hassanabadi

One of the functions of oral history is to express informal and personal feelings and unspoken things that cannot be conveyed in written sources. Documenting failures, setbacks, and painful experiences is one of the advantages of oral history. Topics such as the closure of a center, forced migration, job loss, and the failure of a social movement, intra-organizational disputes, or the failure of a scientific project that can sometimes turn into trauma can be categorized within this framework. Individuals and society have little interest in addressing failures, but society does not only remember victories; sometimes a failure or a bitter incident remains in the collective memory longer than a success, and oral history provides the opportunity to hear the experienced voice of failure.

Artificial intelligence

Addressing failures and bitterness in oral history is not only a necessity, but also its moral mission. Without recording suffering, oral history becomes a rosy propaganda. These narratives are the unspoken lessons of resilience, human error, and the complexities of our shared existence. Ignoring them is a betrayal of future generations, as it deprives them of a deep understanding of the causes of collapses and paths not taken. The truth, however bitter, is the only genuine capital to avoid repeating mistakes and build a more conscious tomorrow. (Deepseek)

Yes, addressing failures and bitterness in oral history is necessary, because history is not just a collection of victories and sweet events. Expressing failures allows future generations to learn from past mistakes, better understand historical realities, and prevent their repetition. Expressing bitterness also helps preserve the experiences and memories of people who witnessed those events. Of course, these things must be expressed honestly, accurately, and without distortion. (ChatGPT)