100 Questions/28
What is the relationship between the oral history of the Islamic Revolution and Islamic Revolution studies?Translated by Mandana Karimi
2026-05-08
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 that are also accepted.
The experts are asked to submit their answers by Sunday night so that all answers can be published on Tuesday.
Question 28:
What is the relationship between the oral history of the Islamic Revolution and Islamic Revolution studies?
Gholamreza Azari Khakestar
In the oral history of the Islamic Revolution, the researcher tries to conduct interviews with people involved in the revolution, including activists, political fighters, leaders, etc., and record aspects of the activities and events from the perspective of the witnesses of the revolution. In the studies of the Islamic Revolution, they deal with the roots, theory and theoretical issues, functions, and views of the leaders and revolutionaries based on various sources, including writings, documents, newspapers, etc. Therefore, oral history interviewers, based on the studies of the Islamic Revolution and on the basis of available information and sources, go to the narrators and interviewees and start the interview with comprehensive information.
So there is a close relationship between the oral history of the revolution and the studies of the Islamic Revolution, and in fact, these two complement each other.
Hassan Beheshtipour
The oral history of the Islamic Revolution and the history of studies are complementary. The difference is that it is the product of interviews with those who were themselves present in the text of the Islamic Revolution and shared their experiences in interviews with the interviewers and compilers of the history of the Islamic Revolution. The compilers also used other conversations related to this topic and saw documents related to the material narrated by the narrators of the oral history of the Islamic Revolution to finally write the text of the oral history of the Islamic Revolution. However, in the studies of the history of the Islamic Revolution, first of all, a study plan is written that specifies the framework of the research on this matter, therefore, the outstanding feature of historical studies is relying on a research plan with a specific topic about the history of the Islamic Revolution. The second characteristic of studies, although they can be individual at the level of a master's thesis or a doctoral dissertation in historical studies, is usually the product of collective research led by the relevant professors; while in oral history, the research supports the compiler of the text, but the narrator plays the central role. I will skip the rest due to word limit.
Mohammad Mehdi Abdollahzade
Due to the limitations of traditional historiography, which relies only on documents, oral history was organized by the historians for the historiography of the contemporary era. In addition to using documents, the basis of this style of research is based on interviews with people who were themselves involved in or were present at the scene or heard about the issue under study from others.
The speed of events related to the Islamic Revolution and the general participation of people from cities and villages near and far in the movement led by Imam Khomeini (RA) caused that in many cases there were no documents about those events and the remaining documents also needed to be clarified and validated. Therefore, data obtained from oral history interviews is a scientific necessity in research related to the Islamic Revolution.
Gholamreza Azizi
It seems that there is a part-to-whole relationship between the oral history of the Islamic Revolution and Islamic Revolution studies, because any research under the title of oral history of the Islamic Revolution can be included under Islamic Revolution studies, but only some studies of the Islamic Revolution are conducted using the oral history method. [However, due to the contemporaneity of the Islamic Revolution and since a number of first-level activists participating in the revolution (or their opponents) are still alive, the presence of these individuals in Islamic Revolution studies (as eyewitnesses and living history) is still significant.]
In other words, it can be said that there is an “absolute general-specific relationship” between the two, because the examples of Islamic Revolution studies apply to all examples of oral history of the revolution, but the oral history of the Islamic Revolution only includes some examples of Islamic Revolution studies.
Seyyed Mohammad Sadegh Feyz
Islamic Revolution studies are applied to the angles, dimensions and causes of the formation, the process of continuity and victory of the Islamic Revolution, and its effect on regional and global equations and its social, political, cultural, etc. effects, as well as to the recognition of the dimensions and goals of the revolution. It also focuses on the role and function of leaders, influential individuals, groups and factions, parties and organizations in favor and against, and internal and external factors involved in it. While oral history deals with the actions of actors in various events of this event without analysis and bias. They do not express from beginning to end, but only the period of their presence and merely point to the points of intersection and intersection with the events and the people who were in contact with them.
Abolfat'h Mo'men
Oral history as a method of research and data collection was first developed in the West, but in Iran, it began with the decree of Imam Khomeini (RA) on January 15, 1988, and the establishment of the Islamic Revolution Documentation Center to compile the history of the revolution, relying on documents, film, audio, and popular narratives. From the very beginning, compiling the history of the revolution was linked to oral history, and the memories of revolutionaries through interviews, after implementation and verification, were placed as historical data alongside other sources. This method helped fill the gaps in the documents. As a result, a two-way relationship was formed between oral history and Islamic Revolution studies, which led to the expansion of this method in areas such as sacred defense and its introduction into universities.
Abolfazl Hassanabadi
One of the main reasons for the formation and expansion of oral history in Iran has been the need to document the history of the Islamic Revolution. A review of published works on the Islamic Revolution shows that many of them were either compiled based on oral history interviews or oral history data was one of the main sources used. This issue has acted like a double-edged sword in historical research on the Islamic Revolution, because relying solely on oral history without using complementary documents can lead to distortion of historical events related to the revolution.
Shafigheh Niknafs
This question raises an important debate about oral history in Iran. Oral history in Iran is directly related to the Islamic Revolution. One reason for this was the change in attitude towards the social status of individuals and the weakening of the class-based attitude towards society, which created a brilliant opportunity for writing memoirs as well as recording individual experiences. After the revolution, numerous efforts were made by institutions, educational and research centers, and even individuals with different motivations in the country and abroad to record the lived experiences of fighters and influential individuals in the history of the late Qajar and Pahlavi periods. It is necessary to remember a few points in this regard: 1. Those involved in these studies should take steps to create an accessible and safe archive for these unique sources. 2. Principles should be observed regarding the individual rights of interviewees and interviewers. 3.In preparing oral history projects of the Islamic Revolution, more attention should be paid to recording the memories and views of "the people"; those who led the revolution to victory but have received less attention in research on the history of the Islamic Revolution.
Hamid Ghazvini
Oral history is an effort aimed at producing research resources for various scientific disciplines such as history, political science, economics, social sciences and other disciplines. Naturally, this type of research is an important source for researchers who have the Islamic Revolution on their agenda. In fact, the oral history of the Islamic Revolution, which is the direct narration of the activists and witnesses of this great contemporary event, can provide important information to all audiences about the characteristics of the revolution and the leaders and activists present in it, as well as the why and how of its formation and victory and the stages after it and the position of its people and leaders. Basically, studies of the Islamic Revolution will be incomplete and incomplete without referring to and utilizing oral history.
AI
Oral history of the Islamic Revolution and Islamic Revolution Studies have a complementary and reciprocal relationship. Oral history, by recording the lived experiences of activists, reveals the hidden, emotional, and everyday layers of the revolution and provides researchers with first-hand data. In contrast, Islamic Revolution Studies, by utilizing theoretical frameworks, analyzes, explains, and makes sense of these data in political, social, and cultural contexts. Without oral history, revolution studies face a lack of field evidence and human detail; without theoretical analyses, oral narratives remain scattered and uninterpreted. Thus, these two fields, in interaction, lead to a deeper and more multi-layered understanding of the revolution.
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